Real Madrid defend players' freedom of expression after Mbappe and Vinicius' Ceuta shirt stance
- On Tuesday, Real Madrid forwards Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, along with center-back Ibrahima Konaté, rolled up their 'Todos somos caballas' solidarity shirts before the La Liga match against Elche, obscuring the message while teammates wore them normally.
- The initiative, organized by the Valencian Business Association, aimed to demonstrate solidarity with Ceuta following a major migration crisis in July that saw at least 72,000 people cross from Morocco into the Spanish territory.
- Other La Liga clubs participated in the campaign; Real Betis Morocco international Abde Ezzalzouli faced online abuse for wearing his shirt before later clarifying on social media that the gesture was a social, non-political act of support.
- Addressing the controversy, Real Madrid defended its players' right to hold differing opinions, stating the club respects individual freedom and gave each player the choice whether to display the solidarity message.
- The incident reflects broader political tensions in Spain surrounding migration and Ceuta's status, with the crisis emerging as a significant theme ahead of next year's national elections and Spain-Morocco relations.
318 Articles
318 Articles
Real defend players' freedom of expression after Mbappe, Vinicius cover message of support for Ceuta
Real Madrid defended their players' right to have differing opinions after forwards Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. obscured a solidarity message for the people of Ceuta before Tuesday's LaLiga clash with Elche.
Javier Tebas defended the wearing of a sweater in support of the population of Ceuta that Mbappé, Vinicius son and Konate refused to put on entirely.
But what does the expression mean? Who launched the initiative? And why did the participation of some players provoke contestation? Here's what you know.
The shirt with the slogan "We are all Ceuta" caused reactions in Morocco and the three Real Madrid players chose not to display the message. Reactions continue in Spain and Morocco around the shirts of support in Ceuta where the biggest migration crisis in recent years in Spain is developing, which the footballers wore before the Elche-Real Madrid match. In Ceuta, there is a serious humanitarian and diplomatic crisis following the massive influx…
My Mother Lode
Mbappé and Vinícius caught in Spain’s great migration debate after obscuring message on Ceuta shirts
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Real Madrid stars Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior have found themselves in the middle of a supercharged political and social debate in Spain about migration and the country’s relations with Morocco. The reason is their decision to cover up part of the message on a T-shirt in support for Ceuta —...
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