Lamin Yamal is considered one of the brightest young players in world football. Photo: Getty Images/Jean Catuffe
Spanish television has sacked one of its pundits for saying Barcelona teenager Lamin Yamal “could end up at a traffic light” ahead of Wednesday's Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain.
German Burgos, former goalkeeper and former assistant coach of Atlético Madrid, commented to Movistar as the players warmed up for the quarter-finals in Paris.
Burgos said of 16-year-old Yamal: “If [professional football] doesn't work out for him, he might end up at a traffic light.”
The comment was interpreted as a reference to people standing at traffic lights asking drivers for money .
Yamal, considered one of the brightest young players in world football, was born in Spain to Moroccan and Equatorial Guinean parents. He has already played six matches for the Spanish national team, scoring two goals.
Barcelona and PSG refused to be interviewed by Movistar after the match, which Barcelona won 3-2, and Movistar later said it was “terminating the collaboration agreement” with Burgos, 54, with immediate effect.
“Movistar Plus&# 43; condemns any discrimination and will not tolerate comments of this type from any employee or employee associated with the platform,” Movistar said.
Burgos apologized on social media, saying: “It was not my intention to cause harm Lamin Yamal, FC Barcelona people, players, UEFA or Movistar Plus+ the platform on which I operate.
“In my comment, I intended to make a joke about quality and flattering virtues, and in no way was any reference to any ethnicity or social class.
< p>“I apologize to everyone who was offended by my comment. I did not intend to condemn Lamine Yamal, on the contrary.
“Football unites everyone and everything, which is why it is the best sport because it does not discriminate based on gender, race, religion, disability, age or sexual orientation. This is what I believe in!”
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