According to German law, 16-year-old Lamin Jamal would not be allowed to play for Spain late at night because it counts as work. But no one has ever been punished for that.
Lamin Jamal is a 16-year-old child prodigy who dances on the grass in the jersey of Barcelona and the Spanish national team.
And a potential "problem" when football collides with German laws.
Namely, in Germany, minors are allowed to do light work from the age of thirteen. From the age of fifteen they are allowed to work eight hours a day.
However, they are only allowed to work after 20:XNUMX at night when they turn eighteen. This, of course, also applies to foreigners working temporarily in Germany.
When is the "shift" over?
Lamin Jamal is employed as a professional athlete. So, when he goes out on the grass in the evening at 21 pm, as was the case in the match against Italy, Jamal "works".
And that's what the Germans thought, so they made an exception for minor athletes and allowed them to work until 23 p.m.
This is not the end of the picaresques either. Part of a player's job does not end when the referee calls the end. His "shift" also includes stretching or showering after the game, and giving interviews.
Law professor Štefan Gref from the University of Konstanz clarified this for the public broadcaster ZDF.
The Germans are not that rigid either
According to Gref, the Spanish football federation is not threatened with any sporting consequences because it violates the law by hiring minors at late hours.
In theory, the Spanish federation could be fined a maximum of 30.000 euros. But, Gref says that the Germans here do not follow the law like a drunkard - so far no one has ever been punished for such a thing.
However, some German fans have already come up with a prank scenario.
If Germany and Spain meet in the knockout round, and the game goes to extra time and penalties, the officials just need to remove Jamal from the field before it's his turn to shoot and Germany will go through.
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