Real Madrid President Florentino Perez Clarifies Ceuta Visit Is Unrelated to Recent Events

Real Madrid President Florentino Perez visited Ceuta city hall on Friday to express solidarity with the Spanish territory, clarifying that the trip was unrelated to any recent developments.

The visit follows a controversy on Tuesday ahead of Real's La Liga match against Elche. Players Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, and Ibrahima Konate obscured the message “We are all mackerels” printed on T-shirts worn by their teammates. The term “Mackerels” serves as a nickname for residents of Ceuta, and the shirts were intended to show support for the local population.

On Wednesday, Mbappe stated that he preferred not to prioritize the suffering of one group over another. Real Madrid informed Reuters that they respect their players' freedom of choice, noting that the club had previously displayed support for Ceuta with a tifo during their Champions League match against Inter Milan.

Accompanied by honorary Real Madrid President Jose Martinez Pirri, who originates from Ceuta, Perez was welcomed at the city hall by Regional President Juan Jesus Vivas.

“I want to emphasise, to avoid any doubts, that today’s event has been prepared over several weeks with the president of Ceuta, not due to any recent news,” Perez stated at the city hall. “And I also take this opportunity to convey all our support, all our affection, and our solidarity during these very difficult times to all Ceutans. It is our wish that normality resumes as soon as possible in Ceuta.”

In July, Ceuta experienced significant disruption after more than 70,000 irregular crossings occurred from Morocco. Real Madrid's solidarity gesture is one of numerous expressions of support seen across Spain following the mass crossings.