Real Madrid back Mbappe and Vinicius Jr over Ceuta solidarity message

Real Madrid have defended their players’ freedom to hold different views after Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr covered a solidarity message for the people of Ceuta before Tuesday’s LaLiga match against Elche.

Players from both teams came out wearing T-shirts displaying the words “Todos somos caballas” – translated as “We are all mackerel”. Caballas is a nickname used for people from the Spanish territory of Ceuta.

Mbappe and Vinicius rolled their shirts up to chest level, making the message impossible to read, before taking the shirts off altogether. Their Real Madrid team-mate Ibrahima Konate carried his shirt in his hands rather than wearing it.

The show of support followed more than 70,000 irregular crossings from Morocco into Ceuta in July, an influx that led to solidarity campaigns being organised across Spain.

A Real Madrid official said the club had accepted Elche’s request for both teams to wear the shirts in support of Ceuta. However, the official added that Real Madrid respected the differing opinions of its players and had allowed each individual to decide whether to wear the shirt.

The club had already shown its support for Ceuta during last Tuesday’s Champions League match against Inter Milan. A display was organised in Real Madrid’s singing section, where supporters held up placards featuring the Ceuta flag.

The initiative to wear the T-shirts was promoted by the Valencian Business Association. Barcelona chose not to wear them during their LaLiga meeting with Levante on Sunday.

The issue also involved Real Betis forward Ez Abde, who received abusive comments on social media on Monday after wearing the shirt before his side’s match against Villarreal.

Moroccan international Abde said he would not apologise for his decision. He explained that the message was intended to support a community and a social cause, rather than promote any political position.

The Ceuta solidarity campaign comes amid heightened public attention on the Spanish territory following the crossings from Morocco in July. Real Madrid’s position is that the club can support the initiative while allowing its players to make their own choices about displaying the message.