Real Madrid President says Ceuta show of support not organised after 'recent news'

Sept 18 - Real Madrid President Florentino Perez attended an event at Ceuta city hall on Friday in a visit to show solidarity with the Spanish territory, saying that it was not related to any recent developments.

On Tuesday before Real's LaLiga match with Elche, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr. and Ibrahima Konate obscured the message 'We are all mackerels' which appeared on T-shirts worn by the rest of the players. 'Mackerels' is a nickname for people from Ceuta, and the shirts were designed to show support for them.

Mbappe said on Wednesday that he did not want to prioritise the suffering of one group over another. Real told Reuters that they respected their players' freedom to make their own decisions, but noted that they had shown support for Ceuta a week earlier with a tifo during their Champions League match with Inter Milan.

Perez was accompanied by honorary Real Madrid president Jose Martinez Pirri, a native of Ceuta. They were welcomed 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 said 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, more than 70,000 irregular crossings into Ceuta from Morocco took place, causing disruption in the territory. Real Madrid's show of solidarity is one of many gestures that have taken place across Spain since the mass crossings. REUTERS