Photo credit: the independent
Real Madrid stars Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior have found themselves in the middle of a supercharged political and social debate in Spain about migration and the country’s relations with Morocco.
The Associated Press reports that the reason is their decision to cover up part of the message on a T-shirt in support of Ceuta – a small Spanish city located on the North African coast – that players for both Madrid and Elche were supposed to wear before their league game on Tuesday.
Ceuta was overwhelmed by a mass crossing of some 80,000 people, mostly from neighbouring Morocco, in late July.
While Mbappe, Vinicius and teammate Ibrahima Konate put on the shirts, they wore them rolled up to their chests so that some of the words were obscured. They then removed their shirts before they shook hands with the Elche players and the referee ahead of kickoff.
Mbappe said Wednesday in an interview with Spanish sports newspaper AS that he wanted to acknowledge and show his support to the migrants.
“The first thing I want to say is that I stand in full solidarity with Ceuta and all the victims. Because before being a player, I am a human being,” he said. “But I also wanted to acknowledge and show support for all the migrants who have lost their lives and those facing harsh conditions.
“It was a difficult position to be in, because people might think I am against the people of Ceuta. But no, absolutely not. I have nothing against them, and I support them 100% in my thoughts. But I also wanted to acknowledge everyone who is suffering. Ultimately, I am human, and I don’t want to rank one person’s suffering above another’s.”
Their gesture generated an outpouring of comments in Spanish media and social media, with some arguing that the players were showing solidarity with the plight of the migrants, while others criticized them for not fully supporting the Spanish citizens of Ceuta. Others blamed the business group which organized the shirt initiative for putting the players on the spot.
