What happened with Raphinha's son at Disneyland Paris? Barcelona star accuses theme park of alleged 'racism'

Brazilian footballer Raphinha has recently made allegations of racism against Disneyland Paris. The accusations emerged from an incident where his son, Gael, was ignored by a costumed performer while the little kid was waiting to hug a chipmunk.

Notably, Raphinha was not satisfied with the fact that his son was not allowed to meet the chipmunk. A video of the entire moment started going viral on September 6, 2025, which shows Gael trying to hug the chipmunk, who hugs another kid.

Gael eventually approaches the chipmunk, who walks away whenever the kid tries to get close to him. The clip was originally shared by Raphinha in an Instagram Story, where he directly mentioned Disneyland Paris and wrote:

“Your employees are a disgrace. You shouldn’t treat people like that, especially a CHILD. You’re supposed to make children happy, not snub a child. I prefer to say it was snubbing, to say nothing else. You’re a disgrace.”

Two more videos showing the kid being allegedly ignored by the costumed performer have been trending. Raphinha, also known as Raphael Dias Belloli, addressed the Disneyland employee in one of them, saying that the employee was “stupid.”

In another clip, Raphinha said that the employee was lucky since the kid did not understand what was going on. The winger for Barcelona also said:

“I understand the fatigue of those who work with this, but why were all white children embraced and my son wasn’t? I hate you @disneylandparis.”

On the other hand, Disneyland Paris has not addressed the incident from their side until now, and further updates on the same are currently awaited.

Disneyland has been in the headlines for other reasons

Back on August 29, 2025, a guest who visited the theme park died during the morning hours. Notably, the incident happened in Hong Kong, and a spokesperson for Disneyland told People magazine that the man was on the Frozen Ever After ride when he passed away.

The man was immediately taken to the North Lantau Hospital in an ambulance. However, he was later pronounced dead. The man was reportedly 53 years old, and his identity is yet to be revealed.

As per People magazine, the ride was closed around two days after the incident, and it will not open until September 19. Disneyland claimed on its official website that the temporary suspension of the ride was happening for operational adjustments, and maintenance was additionally scheduled before the individual’s demise.

The guest reportedly became unconscious when he was on the ride. The cast members of the ride performed CPR on the man and also prepared first aid at the same time, following which he was hospitalized.

While speaking to People magazine, a spokesperson stated that, as per the individual’s family members, he reportedly had a “pre-existing medical condition. The spokesperson additionally expressed grief over the incident, stating that the theme park is doing everything to offer help to the man’s family and that his death had nothing to do with ride safety.