.. and Tibas criticizes

Javier Tebas, president of La Liga, Spain’s top football league, criticized Real Madrid players Kylian Mbappé, Ibrahima Konaté, and Vinícius Júnior for not properly wearing the shirts supporting the residents of Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in North Africa that is facing a migration crisis.

Tebas told reporters, “We saw three players decide not to wear them. Wearing them half-hidden is the same as not wearing them at all... It’s bad, really bad.”

The decision for teams to wear these shirts was part of an initiative launched by a group of businesspeople in the Valencia region. Tebas clarified that the initiative had been approved but was not organized by La Liga, emphasizing that it “is not a political act in any way.”

La Liga teams playing matches that did not involve clubs from the Valencia region did not wear the shirts.

Miguel Ángel Montano, president of the Real Madrid supporters’ association in Ceuta, said he was disappointed by the three players’ decision not to wear the shirts properly.

Montano added in an interview with Spain’s R Radio, “We were very happy to see the players wearing these shirts, because we need support, but we were surprised when we saw these three players covering the message.”

Villarreal hosted Real Betis on Monday, and players from both teams wore the shirts supporting Ceuta. Levante players also wore the shirts before their match against defending champions Barcelona on Sunday, but the Catalan club chose not to wear them.