Mbappe, Vini and Konate obscure Real’s Ceuta message

Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Ibrahima Konate concealed the support message for Ceuta on their T-shirts before Real Madrid's match at Elche on Tuesday. Ceuta is a Spanish autonomous city on the North African coast, near Morocco, separated by the Strait of Gibraltar. Players from both sides donned white T-shirts bearing "Todos somos caballas" – meaning "We are all Ceutans" – alongside references to the Spanish autonomous city.

Most players wore the shirts fully, but the trio rolled up their shirts to chest height, obscuring part of the slogan. Mbappe and Vinicius removed their shirts before the pre-match handshake, while Konate kept his on. Their actions drew criticism from La Liga president Javier Tebas, who deemed their half-coverage equivalent to not wearing the shirts at all, calling it "bad, bad".

The initiative to support Ceuta came from entrepreneurs in the Valencia region and was approved by La Liga, not a political act. Real Madrid previously showed support for Ceuta before their Champions League match against Inter Milan, and at their own stadium during a migration crisis in Ceuta. The city experienced a surge of migrants from Morocco, with at least 72,000 crossing on July 30 and 31, causing unrest and safety concerns. Barcelona abstained from the initiative, while other La Liga clubs supported it fully.