Real Madrid trio criticised for obscuring Ceuta solidarity shirts

Three Real Madrid players obscured a pre-match shirt message supporting Ceuta amid the city's migration crisis, drawing criticism from Spanish media ahead of Tuesday's match at Elche.

• Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Ibrahima Konate rolled the "Todos somos caballas" solidarity shirts to chest height to hide the slogan; Mbappe and Vinicius removed theirs before the pre-match handshake.
• Spanish media criticised the trio for spoiling the solidarity gesture, while reports said Real Madrid left the decision on wearing the shirt to individual players.
• Real Madrid recovered from a two-goal deficit to beat Elche 3-2, with Carlos Espi scoring the winner in stoppage time and Mbappe among the scorers.
• Real Betis winger Abdessamad Ezzalzouli said his wearing of the shirt was a social gesture with no political dimensions, adding, "This is not an apology to anyone."
• Real Madrid defended its players' freedom of expression, a club official telling Reuters the club agreed to Elche's request but respected each player's choice.
• La Liga president Javier Tebas criticised the trio for obscuring the message, saying wearing the shirt half-visible is equivalent to not wearing it at all and calling the act 'bad, bad'.
• Ezzalzouli reiterated on Instagram that wearing the shirt was a gesture of solidarity with Ceuta residents, not a political act against Moroccans.
• Real Betis publicly backed Ezzalzouli, describing him as an example of solidarity.
• Kylian Mbappe said he obscured the shirt because he does not want to prioritize one form of suffering over another, responding to criticism in Spanish media.