Real Madrid have no issue with Mbappe, Vinicius and Konate over Ceuta shirts incident – report

Real Madrid have no issue with Mbappe, Vinicius and Konate over Ceuta shirts incident – report Real Madrid’s 3-2 win over Elche was decided by Carlos Espi in stoppage time, but an incident before kick-off has generated its own discussion. Both teams entered the pre-match proceedings wearing T-shirts in support of Ceuta, with the slogan “We are all caballas” displayed across the front.  Elche’s players were already wearing the shirts before walking onto the pitch, while Real Madrid received theirs in the tunnel shortly before the teams emerged. Three Madrid players, however, did not wear them in the same way as their teammates. What happened with the Real Madrid players? Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr. and Ibrahima Konate all collected the shirts from the kit man. Mbappe and Vinicius put theirs on, although only as far as their shoulders, before removing them shortly afterwards. Konate did not put the shirt on at all and instead held it in his hands. The three players then joined their teammates for the pre-match handshake without the T-shirts. The moment was visible during the match broadcast and became a talking point around the game. The shirts were intended to show support for Ceuta, the Spanish autonomous city that experienced a major influx of Moroccan migrants at the end of last July. That inevitably added attention to the different ways in which the Madrid players handled the shirts, although there is no indication from the club that the three players were making any kind of statement. Real Madrid attach no importance to the incident According to information obtained by Mundo Deportivo , Real Madrid do not consider the episode significant. The club’s position is that players are free to decide whether they want to wear a particular shirt.  Real Madrid also believe that most of the squad did appear wearing the T-shirts, which is why they see no reason to attach additional meaning to the actions of the three players. Their stance is straightforward: nobody should be forced either to wear a shirt or to refuse to wear one, leaving the episode as a pre-match moment rather than something Real Madrid consider relevant to the team or their internal dynamics.