Al-Zalzuli Defends Himself

Real Betis winger Abdelsamad Zlzouli defended himself after facing insults on social media for wearing a shirt in support of Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in North Africa, ahead of his team’s match against Villarreal in the Spanish league. Players from both sides wore shirts bearing the slogan “We Are All Ceuta” before Betis secured a 2-1 victory on Monday at Villarreal’s stadium. The initiative sparked negative reactions toward Zlzouli, who grew up in Spain. Some social media users accused the 24-year-old player of betraying his country and called for his exclusion from the Moroccan national team. Zlzouli, who was forced to withdraw from Morocco’s squad at this summer’s World Cup due to a knee injury, defended his participation in the initiative, insisting on Tuesday that it carried no political intent and was not meant to offend Morocco. In an Instagram post, he said: “I want to make one thing clear: the shirt supporting the people of Ceuta was never used for any political purpose or out of disdain for my people, the Moroccan people.” The former Barcelona winger described the initiative as a social gesture to support the city’s residents “regardless of their nationality.” He added: “This is not an apology to anyone. I will continue to hold my head high and represent my roots with pride and sacrifice.”