Real Madrid’s win over Elche carried an uncomfortable pre-match footnote on Tuesday night, as Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Junior and Ibrahima Konaté drew criticism for the way they took part in a club gesture for Ceuta.
Tebas criticises Real Madrid trio over Ceuta gesture
La Liga president Javier Tebas said he disapproved of the conduct of Mbappé, Vinicius and Konaté before Real Madrid’s 3-2 victory at the Manuel Martínez Valero Stadium.
The three players emerged wearing folded versions of a T-shirt intended to show support for Ceuta’s population. They removed the garments almost immediately before moving to greet Elche’s players.
- The T-shirts carried the message: “We are all Caballas”, using the nickname given to people from Ceuta.
- The initiative was organised as an institutional act by Real Madrid.
- Tebas argued that players should not treat such a gesture as a personal political statement.
Speaking during a visit to Huesca, Tebas said: “I think it is very bad. These are institutional actions by the club. They are not personal actions in which you have to express your own opinion.”
Support campaign followed migrant arrivals in Ceuta
The message was launched after Ceuta was affected by a major influx of migrants on July 30 and 31. The Spanish government said 72,000 migrants entered the territory illegally during those two days, with most coming from Morocco.
Ceuta, a Spanish territory on the north African coast, has become the focus of the support campaign, with “Caballas” used as a local identity marker for its residents.
Real Madrid take three points despite the controversy
The incident did not prevent Real Madrid from taking victory in Elche. The Spanish champions won 3-2, but the image of the three players wearing the T-shirts only partially was the moment that prompted Tebas’s public rebuke.
SEO Title: Javier Tebas criticises Mbappé, Vinicius and Konaté over Ceuta T-shirts
SEO Description: La Liga president Javier Tebas has criticised Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Junior and Ibrahima Konaté after their pre-match Ceuta support gesture before Real Madrid’s 3-2 win at Elche.
