Mbappé, Vinícius and Konaté covered up slogan supporting Ceuta — MyJoyOnline
Before Real Madrid’s match against Elche in the Spanish city of Elche, Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Ibrahima Konaté rolled up their white T-shirts to approximately chest level, partially covering a slogan supporting the residents of Ceuta. This was reported by MyJoyOnline.
Action before the match
Players from both teams came onto the pitch at the Martínez Valero stadium wearing white T-shirts bearing the words Todos somos caballas, which translates as “We are all residents of Ceuta.” The T-shirts also mentioned this Spanish autonomous city on the North African coast, which borders Morocco and is separated from mainland Spain by the Strait of Gibraltar.
Most footballers wore the T-shirts fully, while part of the slogan was not visible on Mbappé, Vinícius and Konaté. Before the pre-match handshake, Mbappé and Vinícius took off their T-shirts, while Konaté remained in his for longer. Other Real Madrid players and Elche footballers wore them throughout the pre-match formalities.
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La Liga’s reaction and context
La Liga president Javier Tebas criticized the actions of the three footballers. According to him, wearing a T-shirt only partially effectively means not wearing it. Tebas also said that the initiative of a group of businesspeople from the Valencia region had been approved by La Liga and was not political in nature. Representatives of the players were asked to comment on the episode.
The action was held amid a large-scale migration crisis in Ceuta. According to the city’s mayor, at least 72,000 migrants crossed the border with Morocco on July 30 and 31, with most of them swimming around the border fence. At least 100 people died during the crossing. Most migrants returned, but up to 5,000 people remained in temporary camps or slept on the city’s streets and beaches.
The match ended with Real Madrid defeating Elche 3-2. The Madrid team squandered a two-goal lead, but Carlos Espi scored the decisive goal in stoppage time. Mbappé also scored. Barcelona did not join the campaign, while footballers in other La Liga matches wore the T-shirts properly.
