FC Barcelona’s latest sensation, Lamine Yamal, turned 18 on Sunday. To celebrate, he hosted an extravagant party at a secluded country estate in Olivella, about 30 miles northwest of Barcelona.
The guest list read like a who’s who of football and entertainment. Teammates Robert Lewandowski, Gavi, Raphinha and Alejandro Balde mingled with chart-topping musicians, viral YouTubers and social media influencers.
The revelry took an unexpected turn when video surfaced showing a group of performers with dwarfism stepping through the estate’s gates. The footage immediately drew criticism from Spain‘s Association of People with Achondroplasia and Other Skeletal Dysplasias (ADEE). The group accused the celebration of mocking people with disabilities and called for a formal inquiry.
Legal and cultural backdrop
Spain’s General Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and their Social Inclusion, revised in May 2023, expressly bans any public show or activity that uses a person’s disability as a source of ridicule. Fines for serious violations can reach $99,000. A draft reform would raise the maximum penalty to $1.1 million for the most egregious cases.
At the European level, the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the European Accessibility Act and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities set standards that Spain’s law seeks to uphold.
The use of people with dwarfism as spectacles dates back centuries. In 17th-century Spain, Diego Velázquez painted dwarfs as court jesters and companions to royalty. Later, circuses and vaudeville shows cast them as curiosities.
Less than two years ago, Spain outlawed the popular enanos toreros tradition. In that practice, performers with dwarfism staged comic bullfights. Disability advocates led the charge, arguing that the spectacle was degrading.
Recurring controversy
This is not the first time high-profile figures have faced backlash for hiring dwarf performers.
In 2017, Real Madrid’s Theo Hernández employed two actors with achondroplasia as fake police officers at his 20th birthday, drawing media scorn.
In 2023, Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho shared photos of dwarfs dressed as Messi and Ronaldo carrying his birthday cake.
And in 2013, an AFL player in Australia was fined after setting a dwarf entertainer’s costume on fire during a team event.
Spanish news outlets branded Yamal’s party “unacceptable in the 21st century.” Many warned that the stunt risked tarnishing his reputation.
On social media, some users denounced the event as humiliating. Others defended the performers’ right to work, arguing the issue was a matter of intent versus impact.
ADEE’s response and next steps
Founded in 1991, ADEE represents roughly 3,000 people with achondroplasia in Spain. Its mission covers advocacy, public education and support for dignified job opportunities.
ADEE’s leadership condemned Yamal’s event as a breach of both law and ethical values. The group lodged an official complaint and urged Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights to involve prosecutors, the Ombudsman and the hate crimes unit.
The government has launched a formal investigation. Yamal has yet to comment beyond thanking fans for birthday wishes.
Meanwhile, disability rights groups hope the episode sparks broader reflection on respect and inclusion. For many Spaniards, that principle is the bottom line.
