Vinícius and Mbappé split Madridism even more over a support shirt for Ceuta
The two big stars, whistled at in the last home game, have been criticized for their decision before the match at the Elche field
BarcelonaTrouble is brewing at Real Madrid. José Mourinho will have to put out another fire burning around his two big stars, Vinícius and Kylian Mbappé, who during the pre-match between Elche and Real Madrid did not want to show the support shirt for Ceuta that the footballers of both teams were wearing. The Frenchman and the Brazilian wore it rolled up almost to their chests, so that the slogan "Todos somos caballas" was cut off. Furthermore, they took off the shirt before the protocol greeting with the Elche players, while the rest of the footballers from both teams kept it on until after the greeting. The Frenchman Konaté also did not want to wear it. Sources from the white club state that they will not be reprimanded for anything, as a dressing room with different sensitivities is respected, but many fans and journalists who follow the white club have already criticized them. Also some politicians, such as those from Vox, who have branded them as "three millionaires who live in Spain" but do not respect it. The PP spokesperson in Congress, Ester Muñoz, stated: "I think it is a humanitarian issue and they will have to explain why they did what they did. Honestly, it made me feel quite embarrassed, but perhaps it didn't for them".
The t-shirt is part of an initiative promoted by the Valencian Association of Entrepreneurs on September 11 to show "solidarity, proximity, and territorial and social cohesion" with Ceuta. The campaign, called Todos somos caballas, in reference to the colloquial demonym of the inhabitants of the autonomous city, has been transferred to football with the support of LaLiga and has been seen in three matches played in Valencian territory: Levante-Barça, Villarreal-Betis, and Elche-Real Madrid. Barça, however, did not join the initiative. In the match against Levante, played on Sunday at the Ciutat de València, the local team's players came out with the t-shirt in support of Ceuta, while the blue and garnet footballers did not wear it. The Barça players, therefore, were the only ones out of the six teams involved in the three matches who did not take part in the initiative. Sources from the blue and garnet club explain that "obviously, we respect the proposal, but it was an initiative of the Asociación Valenciana de Empresarios (AVE), presided over by Mr. Vicente Boluda, with the slogan «#EmpresariosConCeuta», alien in this case to Futbol Club Barcelona. The Club has very recently taken a position in favor of freedom of expression and, therefore, we respect both those who demonstrate and those who decide not to. All opinions and all positions, both individually and collectively, are very respectable".
The decision of Vinícius and Mbappé has caused a new stir within Madrid. The coach José Mourinho has publicly defended both footballers, as in the last match at the Santiago Bernabéu they were booed despite the white team's triumph. The fans cannot quite forgive Vinícius for his low performance and his tantrums. Mourinho defends him by saying that "he is not in his best form and he is the first one who knows it". "If he works hard, we are on the right track. And he is doing it". The relationship with Mbappé is even more complicated. The Frenchman, who for years seemed like Florentino Pérez's forbidden dream, as he could not manage to sign him from PSG, has not yet won any important title at Madrid. He is criticized, as many fans consider that he prioritizes his individual career. In fact, in recent days, the Frenchman has demanded to win the Ballon d'Or. Last year, it was also not well received that he went on vacation while he was recovering from an injury.
Mbappé has the support of the president, but not of a fanbase that was already divided last season when the forward made a move to get coach Álvaro Arbeloa fired. The white locker room was divided into two factions that came to blows, as happened with the fight between Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde. Mbappé, who never looked favorably upon Arbeloa's arrival, criticized him publicly, stating that the coach considered him "the fourth forward" with an ironic tone.
Mourinho returned this summer to Madrid in order to bring order to a team that has gone two seasons without winning titles. He did so at the hand of a Florentino Pérez who was re-elected in elections in which it became clear that for the first time in years, he has an opposition that scrutinizes him. Pérez preferred not to open the door to Vinícius or Mbappé, two players who have not always understood each other on the pitch. In Elche, however, they did agree on hiding the message on the shirt.
The precedent of the former Barcelona player Abde
The controversy comes after the case of the former Barça player Ez Abde. The Moroccan player from Betis wore the same shirt before the match against Villarreal and received a barrage of insults and threats on social media, especially from accounts of people who interpreted the gesture as a stance on Ceuta. Abde ended up restricting comments and archiving his Instagram posts.
Subsequently, the footballer defended his decision and assured that the shirt had a social and not a political character, and that he did not intend to offend Morocco. Betis and LaLiga expressed their support for the player. The reasons why Vinícius, Mbappé, and Konaté avoided showing the slogan completely, on the other hand, have not transpired.