eal Madrid Explains Mbappe, Vinicius’ Decision Over Ceuta Shirt
Real Madrid have defended forwards Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior after the players obscured a solidarity message for the people of Ceuta before Tuesday’s LaLiga match against Elche. A club official said Real Madrid had accepted Elche’s request for both teams to wear shirts carrying the message, “Todos somos caballas” — meaning “We are all mackerels,” a reference to the nickname for people from Ceuta. However, the club said it respected differing views within the organisation and allowed individual players to decide whether to wear the shirts as intended. Mbappe and Vinicius emerged from the tunnel wearing the shirts but rolled them up to chest level, making the message difficult to read, before removing them completely. Real Madrid defender Ibrahima Konate also obscured the message by holding his shirt rather than wearing it fully. The initiative followed more than 70,000 irregular crossings from Morocco into Ceuta in July, which prompted solidarity campaigns across Spain. The Valencian Business Association promoted the shirt initiative.
The episode has highlighted differing approaches among clubs and players, with Barcelona choosing not to wear the shirts during their match against Levante on Sunday, while players at several other fixtures displayed the message as intended. Real Madrid said its position was to respect individual choices after agreeing to participate in the initiative, while the club had previously shown support for Ceuta through supporters displaying the territory’s flag during a Champions League match against Inter Milan. The controversy also follows criticism directed at Real Betis forward Ez Abde, a Moroccan international, after he wore the shirt before his team’s match against Villarreal. Abde said the message was intended to support a community and social cause rather than make a political statement, while Real Betis and LaLiga backed the player. On the pitch, Mbappe scored as Real Madrid defeated Elche 3-2 after surrendering a two-goal lead in the second half. Madrid went ahead through an own goal and Mbappe before Abiel Osorio and Fer Nino levelled for Elche, but substitute Carlos Espi scored in stoppage time to secure the victory for Jose Mourinho’s side.
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