Real Madrid trio obscure Ceuta solidarity message before Elche match

Real Madrid players Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Ibrahima Konate partially covered a solidarity message linked to Ceuta before their La Liga match against Elche.

Players from both teams wore white shirts bearing “Todos somos caballas”, or “We are all mackerels”, over their team shirts. The phrase refers to “caballas”, a nickname for people from Ceuta.

Mbappe, Vinicius and Konate rolled the shirts up to their chests, obscuring part of the slogan, before removing them for the pre-match handshake. The reasons for their actions were not stated, and the episode drew mixed reactions on social media.

Real Madrid said the shirts were worn as “a show of solidarity with Ceuta”. The Spanish autonomous city, on Africa’s northern coast and bordering Morocco, has become a focal point in tensions over migration and Morocco’s dispute with Spain over sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla.

The incident has raised questions about FIFA rules stating that players’ clothing must not display political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images. FIFA told Al Jazeera that any disciplinary action would fall to La Liga, the Spanish football federation or UEFA. None had commented to the broadcaster at the time of publication, and no sanction or formal investigation had been announced.

The message followed a reported influx of more than 70,000 people from Morocco into Ceuta on 30 and 31 July, with several thousand said to remain there. Real Betis are due to play a fundraising friendly against Ceuta in Seville on 1 October.