Mbappé Breaks Silence On Ceuta Shirt Controversy: “Human Suffering Isn’t A Competition”

Kylian Mbappé has revealed for the first time why he, Vinícius Júnior and Ibrahima Konaté declined to fully back the initiative to wear a shirt in solidarity with the city of Ceuta. The French forward chose instead to wear it only partially before Real Madrid’s La Liga clash against Elche yesterday, Tuesday evening.

The matter carries real political sensitivity between Morocco and Spain, and it has sparked a flood of reactions over the past few hours.

Real Madrid’s supporters’ association in Ceuta voiced deep displeasure at the players’ behaviour, branding it “a disgrace” and confirming it would send an official letter to the club’s administration to register its anger.

La Liga president Javier Tebas also criticised the trio, insisting that “support for Ceuta is not a personal opinion”.

Speaking to the Spanish newspaper “AS”, Mbappé said: “I want to explain the matter clearly so that everyone understands it. Wearing the shirt was an institutional decision by the two clubs, and as players we were obliged to comply with it”.

He added: “First, I would like to affirm my full solidarity with Ceuta and all the victims, because before I am a footballer, I am a human being. But at the same time, I wanted to send a message of solidarity towards all the migrants who have lost their lives, and who endure extremely harsh conditions”.

“There are no priorities in suffering”
The French forward went on to justify his position: “It was a difficult situation. Some may think I am standing against the people of Ceuta, and this is not true at all. I support them 100% with my heart. But I also wanted to remember everyone who suffers, because as a human being I do not accept placing priorities on the suffering of people”.

He continued: “There are people who are in pain, and it saddens me greatly to see this in this world. I am just a person who wishes the best for our world, and I always strive to deliver positive messages that call for peace, and I hope these crises will be resolved as soon as possible”.

The tunnel scenes and lack of coordination
The shirt handed to the players before they walked out bore the phrase “We are all Caballas”, the nickname given to the residents of Ceuta, alongside an additional slogan reading “Our city, our homeland”.

Television footage captured the shirts being distributed to the 22 starting players in the dressing room tunnel.

When the trio received theirs, surprise flashed across their faces as they tried to read the message. They decided to wear the shirt only partially, concealing its content, then quickly stripped it off, the first to do so.

Until Mbappé made these comments, the real reasons behind the trio’s behaviour had stayed completely unclear in sporting circles.

The initiative had come at the suggestion of hosts Elche and won the approval of Real Madrid’s administration.