Pérez from Ceuta: my visit is not a response to the Real Madrid players' shirts crisis
Citing the Real Madrid fans' tifo
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has travelled to Ceuta with a direct message of solidarity, seeking to defuse the controversy sparked by the now-famous shirt incident before the match against Elche. He stressed the visit had nothing to do with what has recently been raised in the media.
Perez attended an official event at Ceuta's city hall on Friday, a publicised visit to express solidarity with the Spanish city in North Africa. The region's president, Juan Jesus Vivas, gave him an official reception. Alongside him was the honorary president of the Spanish club, Jose Martinez Pirri, a native of Ceuta.
His trip came days after the row that surrounded Real Madrid's La Liga match against Elche last Tuesday. Three players, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Ibrahima Konate, chose to hide the phrase "We are all mackerel" that appeared on the warm-up shirts worn by the rest of their teammates.
"The mackerel" is the popular nickname given to the residents of Ceuta, and the club had designed the shirts as a gesture of solidarity with them.
Mbappe addressed the incident on Wednesday, explaining that he "does not want to prioritise the suffering of one group at the expense of another".
Real Madrid, for their part, confirmed to "Reuters" their respect for the freedom of their players to make their own decisions. The club also recalled that they had shown support for Ceuta a week earlier by raising a huge "tifo" banner during their Champions League match against Inter Milan.
Speaking at the city hall, Perez was keen to cut off any interpretations: "I want to make clear, so that there is no doubt, that today's event was prepared several weeks ago with the president of Ceuta, and not because of any recent news."
He added: "I take this opportunity to express all our support, all our affection, and our solidarity in these very difficult times for all the people of Ceuta. We hope that normality returns as quickly as possible."
The solidarity moves follow the situation the city witnessed last July, when more than 70,000 irregular crossing attempts from Morocco into Ceuta were recorded. The disturbances that followed prompted many Spanish institutions, including sports clubs, to launch similar solidarity initiatives.
