If Real Madrid finally had to work to overcome Elche (2-3) on Tuesday, at the opening of the 6th day of La Liga, Kylian Mbappé was once again to his advantage. Author of Madrid’s second goal after receiving a cross from Yan Diomande, the Frenchman also offered the winning goal to Carlos Espi in added time.
However, the former Parisian finds himself at the heart of a new controversy. And this time, it has nothing to do with the Ballon d’Or. Before kick-off, players from both teams entered the field wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “Todos somos Caballas” (“We are all Ceutians”), in reference to the nickname given to the city’s residents.
But Kylian Mbappé, like Vinicius Jr and Ibrahima Konaté, appeared on the pitch with the t-shirt rolled up and pulled up to the chest, thus hiding the message of support. Worse still, the trio took off their tunics before even going to greet the opposing team.
Kylian Mbappé singled out
The Spanish enclave located in the north of Morocco, a territory of only 28 km², is facing an unprecedented migratory influx with more than 70,000 irregular crossings recorded in a few weeks. Faced with this emergency situation which deeply divides public opinion and the political class, the Spanish football authorities wanted to show their solidarity.
This gesture immediately ignited social networks and Iberian television sets. For part of the press and supporters, the attitude of the captain of the French team and his teammates is perceived as a lack of respect towards the local population and a deliberate desire to dissociate themselves from a national cause. For others, the players simply sought to avoid finding themselves at the heart of political exploitation.
The controversy takes place in an electric climate. A few days earlier, at the Santiago Bernabéu during the Champions League match against Inter Milan, partisan chants (“Ceuta is not for sale”) and banners had already tinged the stands with sovereignist demands. The day before the match in Elche, the Moroccan international of Betis, Ez Abde, was forced to publish a press release to put out a fire after wearing the same jersey, specifying that it was a humanitarian gesture towards suffering inhabitants, without any geopolitical significance or contempt towards Morocco.
