At the end of a 3-2 win at Elche, a gesture before kick-off has drawn Kylian Mbappé into a political storm in Spain. The Real Madrid forward, alongside Vinicius Junior and Ibrahima Konaté, has now been targeted by Ultras Sur, the banned far-right supporters’ group once based in the Santiago Bernabéu’s south stand.
Ultras Sur attack Mbappé, Vinicius and Konaté over Ceuta shirt refusal
Mbappé, Vinicius and Konaté faced intense criticism, including from far-right voices, after appearing reluctant to wear a T-shirt supporting residents of Ceuta before Tuesday’s match at Elche.
On Wednesday night, Ultras Sur issued a statement condemning the three players. The group said it was “unacceptable” that footballers representing Real Madrid and paid through members’ money had, in its view, shown disrespect towards Spanish citizens suffering the consequences of an “invasion”.
The group added that Real Madrid supporters and Spaniards should be ashamed by the image created by the trio. It demanded public apologies from Mbappé, Vinicius and Konaté, while also calling for Florentino Pérez to resign if no apology is made.
Ultras Sur accused the Real Madrid president of being responsible for what it described as the club’s loss of values and dignity.
A banned group that remains active around Real Madrid
Founded in 1980, Ultras Sur spent years as the dominant organised support at the Bernabéu, occupying the Fondo Sur section and providing much of the stadium’s atmosphere. For two decades, the club allocated the group 250 season tickets each year, allowing it to raise funds independently.
Its influence was repeatedly overshadowed by violence and its openly neo-Nazi ideology. Members have been linked to clashes with opposing supporters and police around Real Madrid fixtures, while fascist banners, chants and gestures were long associated with the group.
Ultras Sur also built relationships with other ultra groups, including Lazio’s Irriducibili and Lyon’s Bad Gones. It became a significant internal pressure group against successive Real Madrid boards and was often associated with organised crime.
Pérez removed the group’s season-ticket allocation and expelled it from the Bernabéu in 2013 as part of an effort to eliminate violence around the club. The move began a lasting conflict between the president and Ultras Sur.
In September 2018, Pérez said the group had repeatedly vandalised his home and even targeted his wife’s grave.
Presence persists despite Bernabéu ban
Although barred from entering the Bernabéu, Ultras Sur retains a presence in Madrid’s football scene. Before home matches, members gather in bars on the busy street beside the stadium and the Fondo Sur area.
The group is also regularly seen in Real Madrid away sections for Champions League and Copa del Rey matches, as well as games involving Real Madrid Castilla.
Its continuing activity was underlined in March 2025, when around 500 hooded members travelled without tickets to Atlético Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium. They attempted to force their way into the ground before police removed them, amid confrontations, insults and Nazi salutes.
The latest statement places Mbappé, Vinicius and Konaté at the centre of a dispute involving one of Real Madrid’s most controversial supporter movements, despite the group having been officially excluded from the club’s stadium for more than a decade.
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Ultras Sur target Mbappé, Vinicius and Konaté after Ceuta dispute
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Real Madrid’s banned Ultras Sur group has demanded apologies from Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Junior and Ibrahima Konaté after the Ceuta T-shirt controversy.
