The shirt before the Elche match

The episode goes back to the LaLiga match against Elche on 15 September 2026. Before kick-off both teams agreed to wear a shirt carrying a message of support for Ceuta, promoted by the Asociación Valenciana de Empresarios (AVE). The slogan 'Todos somos caballas' used the popular nickname of the city's residents, and the Madrid players pulled the shirts on hurriedly in the tunnel, seconds before walking out. Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Konaté lifted the lower part of their shirts and covered part of the message. The gesture came after thousands of migrants had crossed illegally from Morocco into the Spanish enclave in late July, a crisis Konaté later said he had only learned about afterwards.

What Konaté said on Tuesday

Konaté faced the press on Tuesday, 20 October, at the press conference before Real Madrid's Champions League match against RB Leipzig at the Bernabéu. It was his first appearance before the media since his presentation as a Real Madrid player. He said he had not understood what the shirt said and did not know what it referred to, so he could not take a position. He added that he later read about what had happened in Ceuta and could see both sides of the dispute. Pointing to his own background, he said his parents originally came from Africa and left for France, and that he believed many people were in the same situation. He also said that people who commit crimes in the country they arrive in deserve to be punished, and that he preferred to stay in the middle. He described the episode as less serious than it had been portrayed, said everything is magnified far more at Madrid than he expected, and said he is not active on social media. He credited Mbappé, Tchouaméni and Camavinga, all French, with helping him settle in.

Mbappé's explanation

Two days after the match, Mbappé gave an interview to the Spanish sports daily AS explaining his decision. He said the clubs had decided to include the shirt and that the players were expected to wear it. He expressed full solidarity with Ceuta and its victims, but said he also wanted to acknowledge the migrants who had died and those still living in harsh conditions. He stressed that he had nothing against the people of Ceuta and that he fully supported them. He said the position was not an easy one, because people could believe he was against Ceuta, which he said was not the case.

Mourinho and the Leipzig match

José Mourinho also met the press on Tuesday, in what Spanish outlets described as one of his calmest appearances. He said Vinícius Júnior was the only player whose starting place he confirmed for the match. He rejected the idea of untouchable players, saying only the badge is untouchable and that a player's level on the pitch is what matters. He said the team was still far from the way he wanted it, having been together only three or four months, and that Real Madrid's demands are maximum ones. Madrid had just won their third straight match since the international break, against Sevilla. Kovacs will referee the Leipzig game, which kicks off at 21:00 on Wednesday, 21 October, ahead of Sunday's clásico against Barcelona.