CEUTA CRISIS GROWS: BACKLASH AGAINST MADRID STARS

The migrant crisis in Ceuta, Spain's territory in North Africa, spilled over onto the La Liga pitches and brought Real Madrid fans face to face with the players. The events that erupted after more than 70,000 migrants flocked to the region at the end of July took on a different dimension before the match where Real Madrid defeated Elche 3-2 away. According to reports from Sky News and L'Equipe, players from both teams planned to wear t-shirts reading "Todos somos caballas" (We are all from Ceuta) in solidarity with the people of Ceuta before the match. However, during the ceremony, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior rolled up their t-shirts to chest height to obscure the message, and Ibrahima Konate only carried the shirt in his hands instead of wearing it, sparking a huge debate in the country. Some argued that the players showed solidarity with the migrants, while others accused them of not fully supporting Spanish citizens. Making an official statement upon the harsh criticism, the Real Madrid club stated that they approved the t-shirt initiative but respected the differing views of the players and gave them the freedom to decide whether to wear these t-shirts. Despite this moderate attitude of the club, Ultras Sur, one of Real Madrid's strict fan groups, described the events as disrespect to club values. The group demanded an immediate public apology from Mbappe, Vinicius, and Konate.

IMAGE: SKY NEWS