Sports16 September, 20262 min read
Real Madrid Defend Mbappé, Vinícius, Konaté After Ceuta Solidarity Shirts Obscured
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Players partially obscured Ceuta solidarity shirts before Elche match, sparking controversy. Real Madrid defended players' right to express differing views on Ceuta shirts.
30 outlets told this the same way.
Ceuta shirts, message obscured
Real Madrid defended Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior after the forwards obscured a solidarity message for the people of Ceuta before Tuesday’s LaLiga clash with Elche. Players from both teams emerged wearing shirts bearing the message “Todos somos caballas” — “We are all mackerels” — but Mbappé and Vinícius rolled their shirts up to chest height, making the message illegible, before removing them completely as they left the tunnel.
Real Madrid defender Ibrahima Konaté also obscured the message by holding his shirt in his hands rather than wearing it fully, while the show of solidarity followed more than 70,000 irregular crossings from Morocco into Ceuta in July. The incident became part of a wider debate in Spain about migration and the country’s relations with Morocco, with Ceuta described as a Spanish enclave on the north African coast that has become a political flashpoint over the influx of migrants from Morocco.
Club defense and FIFA rules
A Real Madrid official told Reuters that the club accepted Elche’s request for both teams to wear shirts in solidarity with Ceuta, but respected differing opinions within the organisation and gave each player the freedom to decide whether or not to wear the shirt. Reuters also described how Mbappé and Vinícius rolled their shirts up to chest height, rendering the message illegible, before removing them entirely as they exited the tunnel, while Konaté held his shirt in his hands.
Al Jazeera reported that FIFA’s rulebook says clothing worn by players “must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images,” and cited Rule 4.5 as also banning players from revealing undergarments that show political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images. Al Jazeera said La Liga, RFEF and UEFA did not respond to its request for a comment, and noted that Al Jazeera asked FIFA whether the La Liga players or clubs will face any sanctions for displaying the message.
Abde backlash and next steps
The Ceuta-shirt controversy also drew attention after Moroccan international Ez Abde faced social media backlash for wearing the same “Todos somos caballas” slogan before Real Betis’ match against Villarreal on Monday. Al Jazeera quoted Abde saying, “I want to make one thing clear – at no point was the shirt referring to the people of Ceuta used with a political objective or out of contempt for my people, the Moroccan people,” and said he described it as a social gesture in support of the population of the city “regardless of their nationality.”
The Telegraph reported that La Liga and Real Betis both posted messages of support for Abde after his statement, while Reuters said Abde responded with a statement saying he would not apologise and that the message was in support of a community and a social cause rather than of any political content. As the debate continued, Reuters said the show of support came after more than 70,000 irregular crossings into Ceuta from Morocco occurred in July, sparking solidarity movements across Spain.