Three very prominent soccer stars at Real Madrid sparked controversy on Tuesday night after refusing to wear T-shirts showing support for the autonomous city of Ceuta, which has dealt with a migrant crisis since late July.
France stars Kylian Mbappé and Ibrahima Konaté, as well as Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior, stepped onto the pitch at the Martinez Valero on Tuesday night for their match against Elche covering the shirts which bore the slogan, "We are all Caballas," in Spanish.
The slogan was a show of support, with Caballas being the term used for locals from Ceuta.
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For context, Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain in North Africa, which borders Morocco. An influx of 72,000 illegal migrants from Morocco rushed into the city, which has a population of 85,000 residents, causing havoc throughout.
Since then, tens of thousands of Spaniards have taken to the streets across their country to protest the government for its handling of the migrant issue.
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Among those showing their support of Ceuta were Real Madrid fans, who just last week unveiled a large tifo, or coordinated visual display, made up of Ceuta flags during the Champions League match against Inter Milan.
And during this match, Real Madrid made it clear it would be showing support to Ceuta after posting a message on its official website.
"Before the start of the match between Elche and Real Madrid, the players of both teams took to the pitch of the 'Manuel Martínez Valero' Stadium wearing shirts bearing the phrase 'We are all Caballas', as an expression of solidarity with Ceuta," the statement read.
Mbappé and Vini Jr. were seen wearing the shirt with the message mostly covered after rolling it up, while Konaté reportedly carried it in his hands. Once the official team photo was taken, Mbappé and Vini Jr. removed the shirts to reveal the Real Madrid jerseys they would wear during the match.
It’s unknown why the three players didn’t want to be involved in the display of solidarity, but it was clear they wanted no part in doing so, adding controversy to Spain’s most popular soccer club.
Prior to this controversial moment, Moroccan soccer player Abdessamad Ezzalzouli caught flak from his compatriots after wearing a similar shirt showing support of those in Ceuta during Real Betis’ match against Villarreal on Monday. He reportedly received threats and got tons of vitriol sent his way, as many Moroccans believed it was a political statement against his country.
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Ezzalzouli later said on his Instagram that, "The shirt had a social character, within the framework of supporting the residents and people of a region who were living through a difficult situation, regardless of their nationality."
"But at the same time, this is not an apology to anyone, and anyone who wishes to exploit this matter to question my love for my country is free to do so. As for me, I will continue to live every day with my head held high, and I will continue to represent my roots with pride and sacrifice."
Thousands of the migrants that flooded into the Spanish territory remain in place even now.
"What happened to us was not a migratory crisis," Ceuta's regional leader, Juan Jesús Vivas, said earlier this month. "What happened was the violation of Spain's territorial integrity."
Authorities said that 50,000 protesters were in Madrid’s streets alone earlier this month, showing their frustration with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for his administration’s handling of the crisis.
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