Real Madrid trio roll up Ceuta tribute shirts, sparking backlash

Before Real Madrid's 3-2 La Liga win at Elche on 15 September, players were handed shirts reading "Todos somos caballas" — "We are all Ceutans" — plus "Nuestra Ciudad, nuestra patria". The initiative came from the Valencian Business Association (AVE), whose president is former Real Madrid chief Vicente Boluda, and was accepted by both clubs.

Television footage showed Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Jr and Ibrahima Konaté wearing the shirts rolled up to their chests, hiding the slogan, then removing them early while teammates kept them on. La Liga president Javier Tebas called the gesture "the same as not wearing it… bad, bad".

“I have complete solidarity with Ceuta and all the victims, because before being a player I am human. But I also wanted to make a gesture and express my thoughts for all the immigrants who have lost their lives and who are also living in difficult conditions.”

The Peña Madridista de Ceuta, a 120-member fan club founded in 1987, said it will file a formal complaint with Real Madrid's supporter department. President Miguel Ángel Montano called the players "fakes" and said they had "stolen our life".

Mbappé told AS he acted to avoid "prioritising suffering". "I have complete solidarity with Ceuta and all the victims, because before being a player I am human," he said. "But I also wanted a gesture for all the immigrants who have lost their lives and who are in difficult conditions." He insisted he supports Ceuta "100 per cent" and seeks a "message of peace".

The shirts were prompted by a migration crisis in late July when tens of thousands of people crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave. The Moroccan Association for Human Rights estimates at least 141 deaths. Villarreal and Levante players wore the shirts in their matches; Barcelona's squad declined.