The Elche field transformed into an unexpected political theater on Tuesday evening during Real Madrid’s victory (2-3) in La Liga. While all the players in the meeting wore a t-shirt emblazoned with the message “Todos somos caballas” in support of the inhabitants of Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in Morocco facing a serious migration crisis, several Madrid players decided to dissent.
If Ibrahima Konaté was content to hold the garment in his hand, Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Jr and Aurélien Tchouameni deliberately folded the tunic, thus hiding a large part of the solidarity message. A silent gesture whose resonance immediately set the Spanish media landscape ablaze.
Faced with the shock wave, the management of Real Madrid quickly opted for neutrality and a very diplomatic position. Reaffirming not to interfere in the personal beliefs of its employees, the club made it known via a journalist from “El Chiringuito” that it “respects the opinion and individual sensitivity of each employee”. A position confirmed by the Catalan daily Mundo Deportivo, according to which the club does not grant
“nothing important” to this episode, believing that no one can be forced to wear a jersey or not.
“What is this behavior? »
But this position is far from unanimous. The controversy took a virulent turn on the airwaves of Spanish radio, particularly in the program “Tiempo de Juego” where journalist Paco González let his anger explode. For the consultant, the half-measures displayed by the French striker and his teammates constitute a serious mistake.
“It’s a club thing: the club asks you to wear it, so you wear it. If it offends a personal conviction, you don’t wear it.”the journalist was indignant on air. Pointing out the casual attitude of the French international and his partners, the journalist hit the nail on the head: “For me, wearing the jersey half-heartedly is unacceptable. What is this behavior? You are not obeying the club. You are disrespecting the institution. The club has made a decision, that’s all. Otherwise, we say it before and we don’t go out on the field. »
The day before, a surge of hatred had already targeted Betis player Abde Ezzalzouli for agreeing to wear the solidarity t-shirt against Villarreal.
