PP and Vox criticize Vinícius, Mbappé, and Konaté for hiding the slogan of support for Ceuta, and the Government respects their decision

A t-shirt supporting Ceuta has moved the controversy from the Martínez Valero pitch to the halls of Congress. The PP and the far-right Vox have attacked Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé, and Ibrahima Konaté for preventing the solidarity slogan from being seen that the players wore before the match between Elche and Real Madrid.

The footballers from both teams came out onto the field wearing a white t-shirt that read "Todos somos caballas" ("We are all caballas"), a reference to the popular demonym for people from Ceuta. However, the three Real Madrid players kept the garment folded, hiding the message. Vinícius and Mbappé, furthermore, took it off before the protocolary greeting, while the rest of their teammates continued to wear it.

The initiative was promoted by the Valencian Association of Entrepreneurs (AVE) to show solidarity with the population of Ceuta after the migratory crisis at the end of July. Real Madrid accepted Elche's proposal, although it gave each member of the squad the freedom to decide whether to participate. Club sources have defended that there are different sensitivities within the team and that all of them must be respected.

The campaign was also present in the Villarreal-Real Betis match, where both teams wore the t-shirt. Moroccan international Ez Abde later received insults and hate comments on his social media for joining the gesture. FC Barcelona, for its part, decided not to participate during its match against Levante.

The PP demands explanations and Vox raises the tone

The spokesperson for the Popular Party in Congress, Ester Muñoz, assured this Wednesday that she felt "quite vicarious embarrassment" upon seeing the images. She also recalled that Vinícius obtained Spanish nationality in 2022 and has asked the three players for explanations for their behavior.

"They will have to explain why they do not want to defend Spain when they are playing in a Spanish team," Muñoz declared. The popular leader presented the campaign as a humanitarian issue and considered that the people of Ceuta should receive the support of all clubs in the country. With her words, the PP has linked voluntary participation in the initiative with the footballers' commitment to Spain.

The general secretary of Vox in Congress, José María Figaredo, has acknowledged that players are free to support the causes they deem appropriate, although immediately afterward he described them as "three millionaires living in Spain" and accused the trio of disengaging from Spaniards.

The far-right has taken advantage of the controversy to revive its offensive against the joint hosting of the 2030 World Cup between Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. Figaredo has called the Ceuta crisis an "act of war" and has again asked the PP to support the use of article 102 of the Constitution to push for an accusation against the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, for alleged "treason."

The Government avoids judging the footballers

The Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, Milagros Tolón, has refused to join the reproaches. Although she acknowledged that she did not see the match, she stressed that wearing the shirt was a "personal decision" of each player. "Sport is sport and the values of sport should never be lost," she added.

The Minister of Health and leader of Más Madrid, Mónica García, also did not want to censure the footballers. García defended the gestures of solidarity with Ceuta, but called it "hypocritical" that the PP uses this campaign while, in her opinion, it hinders measures aimed at restoring normality in the autonomous city. She also called for maintaining empathy with the people of Ceuta and with migrants fleeing hunger.

From Sumar, the Compromís deputy Alberto Ibáñez has demanded respect for the freedom of expression of athletes and artists. "Helping Ceuta cannot be a proclamation to divide based on national identity sensitivities or even to spur racism," he warned in Congress.

The deputy of Coalición Canaria Cristina Valido also defended freedom of conscience and asked to keep partisan disputes out of football. "Whoever wants to, let them wear it, and whoever has doubts, let them not wear it. These kinds of things have to be spontaneous and cannot be imposed on anyone," she concluded.