Tebas says Real Madrid trio were wrong to reject Ceuta support shirt

Javier Tebas has criticised Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Ibrahima Konate after the Real Madrid players failed to properly wear a shirt supporting Ceuta before Tuesday’s match against Elche.

Both teams came on to the pitch wearing shirts carrying messages of support for the city. Broadcast footage showed Elche’s players wearing them before leaving the dressing room, while Real Madrid’s squad received the shirts in the tunnel.

However, Mbappe, Vinicius and Konate did not display the shirts in the same way as their team-mates. All three were handed one by a member of the equipment staff.

Mbappe and Vinicius lifted the shirts only as far as their shoulders, while Konate held his in both hands. The French and Brazilian players removed the shirts moments later, shortly before the team walked out.

The shirts carried the words “We are all Caballas”, a slogan of support for Ceuta, the autonomous city which experienced a huge influx of Moroccan residents at the end of July last year.

Tebas, the president of La Liga, told Marca: “I think this is a very big mistake.”

He said Real Madrid was a Spanish institution and argued that the entire squad’s participation in such initiatives represented “an institutional act, an act of the club”, rather than “a personal act in which everyone has to express their opinion”.

Tebas added that events promoted by sporting bodies and authorised by La Liga should not be subject to the personal views of footballers “when they do not affect ideological issues”.

“The entire team coming on wearing the shirt is an established tradition at the club,” he said. “The player must come on wearing the shirt. Coming on with a folded shirt is the same as coming on without a shirt.”

He rejected the idea that wearing the shirt amounted to taking a political position.

Tebas also addressed the controversy involving Morocco international Abde Ezzalzouli, who wore a Ceuta support shirt during Real Betis’ match against Villarreal. Ezzalzouli subsequently received threats and insults over his decision.

The La Liga president described that incident as “collateral damage”.