La Liga president Javier Tebas criticises three Real Madrid players for partially obscuring a shirt supporting Ceuta residents.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has criticised three Real Madrid (1.96) players over a pre-match shirt incident. Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Ibrahima Konate partially concealed a message supporting Ceuta residents.
What Happened At Elche
The incident occurred before Real Madrid’s 3-2 win at Elche (4.20) on Tuesday. All players were asked to wear a shirt reading “we are all Ceutans” during pre-match protocol. Mbappe, Vinicius and Konate wore theirs partially rolled up instead.
That decision semi-obscured the message printed across the front. Mbappe and Vinicius reportedly removed theirs early, while Konate kept his in hand. Every other Real Madrid player wore the shirt normally.
Tebas offered a blunt assessment of the trio’s actions afterward: “We saw three players decide not to wear it,” Tebas said. “Putting it half on is the same as not wearing it… bad, bad,” he added.
The Origins Of The Campaign
A group of entrepreneurs from the Valencia region initiated the shirt campaign. Tebas confirmed La Liga approved the initiative without organising it directly. He stressed the campaign carried no political dimension whatsoever.
“It was not a political act of any type,” Tebas said.
Teams playing matches not involving Valencia-region clubs have not worn the shirts. Villarreal (1.98) and Real Betis (1.66) players both wore them during Monday’s fixture. Levante players also wore them before facing Barcelona last Sunday. Barcelona (1.19), though, declined to participate, saying the matter belonged to Spanish politics.
Local Disappointment And Wider Tensions
Real Madrid’s Ceuta supporters’ club expressed disappointment with the trio’s decision.
“We were very happy to see players wearing the shirts, because we need support,” said club president Miguel Angel Montano. “But we were baffled when we saw that these three players covered up the message,” he added.
The controversy comes amid significant tensions surrounding Ceuta this year. Tens of thousands of migrants arrived from Morocco during late July. Most returned within hours, but several thousand remained in the small territory.
Locals have protested regularly as migrants continue camping on beaches and streets. Residents accuse the Spanish government of abandoning the overwhelmed city during a humanitarian crisis.
Ezzalzouli Defends His Own Participation
Real Betis winger Abde Ezzalzouli faced criticism for wearing the shirt himself. The Morocco international responded publicly on social media this week.
“At no point was the shirt used with a political objective,” Ezzalzouli said.
He stressed the gesture carried no contempt toward Moroccan people whatsoever. He described it as a social gesture supporting the city’s population. Ezzalzouli emphasised that support extended to residents “regardless of their nationality”.
Real Madrid have since defended their three players on grounds of individual freedom. The players themselves have not commented publicly on the incident.
