Soccer star Kylian Mbappé said that he stands in solidarity with the citizens of Ceuta and with migrants who are struggling, after he and two Real Madrid teammates made headlines when they decided to roll up Ceuta solidarity shirts players had been asked to wear.

"The first thing I want to say is that I have complete solidarity with Ceuta and all the victims, because before being a player, I am human," Mbappé told Spanish sports outlet AS. "But I also wanted to make a gesture and express my thoughts for all the immigrants who have lost their lives and who are also living in difficult conditions."

Mbappé: 'Solidarity with Ceutans and migrants'

Real Madrid players had been asked to wear shirts with a slogan that roughly translates to "We are all Ceutans" ahead of a game against Elche on Tuesday (September 15). Mbappé and two other players, Vinicius Junior and Ibrahima Konaté, decided to partially roll up the shirt. According to Mbappé, this was supposed to signify that they stood not just by the citizens of Ceuta, but also by the migrants affected by the situation in the Spanish city in north Africa.

Real won the game against Elche 3:2, with Mbappé scoring one of the goals.

A group of Valencia businesspeople started the T-shirt initiative, asking football teams from the region to wear the shirt.

La League president Tebas: 'Bad, bad'

In Spanish media and on social media, the players' decision to roll up the shirts was widely discussed.

Spanish football league president Javier Tebas criticized the three players, saying that rolling up the shirt was "the same as not wearing it... bad, bad."

"I am outraged by Mbappé, Vinícius and Konaté. You are in Real Madrid, not just any club. Support for Ceuta is not a political or religious issue," commented Jorge Calabrés, a journalist for the online newspaper El Espanol.

Sports commentator Santiago Segurola meanwhile backed the players on Onda Cero radio: "The businessmen behind this are idiots… [They] put the players in an awkward situation, making them position themselves. Now people are holding the players accountable."

Mbappé known to be politically outspoken (for a football player)

Mbappé is known to be among the most politically outspoken current football stars. The French player, who has a Cameroonian father and Algerian grandparents, has warned against the rise of far-right extremism in his home country and beyond.   

While the decision of Mbappé, Vinicius and Konaté to not fully wear the shirts received a lot of attention in Spain, Real Betis forward Abde Ezzalzouli, who also plays for Morocco's national team, received criticism from some Moroccan fans on social media because he had fully worn the shirt ahead of a game at Villareal the night before the Real Madrid-Elche game. Abde defended his decision, saying that the shirt was not political, but rather expressed "a social message of support for a city and its inhabitants, who, regardless of their nationality, are going through a complicated situation." 

Thousands of migrants sleeping rough in Ceuta

The Spanish city of Ceuta saw more than 70,000 migrants arrive from Morocco in late July; more than 140 people died trying to cross to Ceuta, according to Spanish and Moroccan NGOs. While many people left again quickly, thousands of migrants remain in the city, with many of them sleeping rough.

Reception facilities and local authorities in Ceuta have been unable to properly accommodate and register everyone. Many residents in the city – which usually has a population of well under 90,000 – have said that their daily lives have been affected negatively by the new large migrant camps, including one on a local beach, though many locals have also been involved in efforts to help migrants.

Ceuta is located on the coast of northern Africa, bordering on Morocco. This has long made the city a destination for migrants hoping to reach Europe, but far more people arrived this summer than at any point in recent history. The situation in Ceuta has drawn worldwide attention, and increased tension in the political debate over migration within Spain.

With AFP, AP