Controversial Paid Dinner with Lamine Yamal's Mother Held in London

Reports from the UK indicate that a London-based event organizing company hosted a special birthday dinner featuring Sheila Ibana, the mother of rising Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, as the evening's "guest of honor."

The event was held at a hotel in the British capital, where attendees were promised the chance to meet Sheila and take photographs with her. According to the "Daily Mail," the VIP package for the event was priced at £313 (around 350 euros), which included a premium seat at the table, unlimited beverages, and photo opportunities with Sheila.

Sheila, originally from Equatorial Guinea, typically maintains a low profile, contrasting with her husband Munir Nasrawi, who has become more visible on social media following their son's rise to fame. Despite having over 360,000 followers on Instagram, she chose to avoid discussing her son's career during the event, deflecting several questions regarding Yamal, who recently placed second in this year’s Ballon d'Or. This has led to speculation about her reasons for participating in a paid event, especially given that her son reportedly earns around £270,000 weekly with Barcelona.

The dinner has sparked significant discussion in European sports media about the commercialization of family fame and the ethical implications of blurring the lines between public personas of athletes and their private family lives.