Soccer

Mary Hannigan: Lamine Yamal’s name is popping up in discussions about Germany’s child labour laws

Laws in Germany for sport people under-18s prohibit them from working past 11pm in the evening

Lamine Yamal of Spain reacts during the group stage match between Spain and Italy at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Photograph: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Mary Hannigan
Mon Jun 24 2024 - 06:00

That there was even any chat about the possibility of Spain saving themselves €30,000 by taking 16-year-old Lamine Yamal off in the 71st minute of their game against Italy last week is a hoot of a reminder of just how young the fellah is. And that his name is popping up in discussions about Germany’s child labour laws.

Spanish radio station COPE noted that those laws prohibit under-18s (including visitors to Germany) from working past 8pm in the evening, but while there is a special provision for sports people, that allows them “work” until 11pm at night, that time includes showering and media duties.

So, what would happen if Spain’s knock-out game next Sunday, which starts at 9pm local time, went to extra time? Well, if Yamal stayed on and the laws were applied, they would be fined €30,000 – and presumably warned not to repeat the offence. COPE had good news, though – such action is rarely, if ever, taken. The real test, mind you, will be if it looks like Spain will come up against Germany. Because if you were German, you’d be fierce tempted to start enforcing those laws pronto.

Word of Mouth

Footballer James McClean was recently diagnosed with autism and has become an advocate in support of his daughter, Willow-Ivy, who is also autistic. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

“Who is he?! Who is James McClean?! Who is he?!” Sam Allardyce not taking kindly to our James’s comments about Declan Rice.

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“I can’t believe that he had the cojones to actually say that because Declan Rice is one of the best in the world at what he does. Just imagine what Declan Rice thinks of James McClean.” Kevin Nolan not taking kindly to our James’s comments about Declan Rice.

“I said I wanted him gone after the last World Cup. Gone. Gone. Gone. They should sack him now. Get a new manager in now. Get rid of him now. Get him gone now.” Jermaine Pennant stopping short of giving Gareth Southgate a vote of confidence.

ChatGPT, what is the greatest Euro squad of all time?

The Daily Mail was aghast when it asked ChatGPT to come up with the greatest Euros squad of all time, made up of players who appeared in at least one tournament since the first in 1960, and it didn’t include a single British player – even on the bench. “Football fans will be shocked by some very controversial omissions,” they said. The team and subs:

Casillas (Spain); Lahm (Germany), Baresi (Italy), Beckenbauer (Germany), Maldini (Italy); Xavi (Spain), Platini (France), Zidane (France); Ronaldo (Portugal), van Basten (Netherlands), Henry (France). Manager: Vicente del Bosque (Spain). Subs: Buffon (Italy), Ramos (Spain), R Koeman (Netherlands), Iniesta (Spain), Pirlo (Italy), G Müller (Germany), Griezmann (France).

That’s such an impressive selection, it’s a surprise the Mail isn’t looking for ChatGPT to take over from Gareth Southgate before the Slovenia game.

Lost in Translation

Bruno Fernandes celebrates after scoring his team's third goal during the match between Turkey and Portugal at the BVB Stadion in Dortmund. Photograph: Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images

Despite their comfortable enough 3-0 win over Turkey on Saturday, parts of the Portuguese press are still not convinced by the balance of its team’s attack, reckoning that Bruno Fernandes in particular is struggling to link up with the players around him.

“Bernardo Silva is not explosive, Ronaldo no longer has the speed he once did and Leao likes the ball at his feet,” wrote Observador. “All this is a problem for Bruno, who likes to throw motorbikes.”

Something was possibly lost in translation?

Quote

“I told him I was going to the toilet.” Berat, the 10-year-old pitch invader who got that selfie with Cristiano Ronaldo, explaining how he escaped his Da in the stands.

By the Numbers: 17

N’Golo Kanté's appearances for France in big tournaments – excluding penalty shoot-outs, he hasn’t lost a single game.

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan is a sports writer with The Irish Times

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