Chibout enters the fray: Ceuta and Melilla are Moroccan, and Ez Abde's patriotism cannot be questioned | Goal.com
Youssef Chippo, the former Morocco international, has declared that Ceuta and Melilla are Moroccan cities, at a time when controversy is growing over La Liga stars taking part in an initiative to support the people of Ceuta.
Speaking on beIN Sports as he analysed the La Liga clash between Barcelona and Racing Santander, Chippo said: "Ceuta and Melilla are two Moroccan cities, they are remnants of European occupation, and they will return to Moroccan sovereignty sooner or later."
He added: "It is unacceptable to bring political issues into sport."
For Chippo, the refusal of Barcelona and the Real Madrid trio of Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Ibrahima Konaté to wear shirts in support of Ceuta amounts to a failure for the Spanish Federation, which is trying to promote the city.
The former midfielder also defended Real Betis' Abde Ezzalzouli, who was forced to wear the shirt before his side's match against Villarreal. "Ezzalzouli is a Moroccan player, and no one can question his patriotism or his love for Morocco," he said.
The row carries sensitive political dimensions between Spain and Morocco.
Ceuta and Melilla sit on the northern coast of Africa under Spanish administration. Morocco considers them occupied Moroccan cities and demands their return.
Real Madrid trio Mbappé, Vinícius and Konaté sparked a major controversy of their own. Before the Elche match, they folded the shirts at the point of the message so the slogan written on them would not show, keen to avoid potential negative reactions in Morocco.
The players had received shirts bearing the phrase "Todos somos caballas. Ceuta y los Caballeros de la Mar", prepared by the businessmen's association in Valencia as part of an initiative that took in the Villarreal, Levante, Elche and Valencia matches.
Their decision came just one day after the storm stirred up by Morocco's Ezzalzouli, following his own involvement in the same campaign.
During Villarreal against Real Betis, the Andalusian side's players joined the initiative and took to the pitch wearing shirts in support of Ceuta. Among them was Ezzalzouli, a Morocco international.
The backlash was swift. Moroccans flooded social media with criticism, prompting the player to delete his posts about the initiative before coming out to defend his position.
Ezzalzouli explained that the shirt carried "a social character in support of the residents and people of the city", denying that the initiative had political aims or carried any offence to Morocco.
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