After the Real Madrid trio crisis: Yamal's stance on the Ceuta support shirt revealed | Goal.com
Barcelona's refusal to join the initiative involving shirts bearing a message of support for the city of Ceuta ran deeper than the political overtones some read into the slogan, according to press reports. Lamine Yamal's stance tipped the balance in settling the Catalan club's position.
Le360, the Moroccan website, reported in its French edition that Barcelona were still weighing up whether to take part before Wednesday evening's La Liga clash with Racing Santander. Then they learned their young forward did not want to wear the shirt earmarked for the campaign.
Management responded by keeping the whole squad out of it, the report said, sparing Yamal specifically from the firing line of criticism and racist abuse on social media.
According to the same report, that decision drew on what unfolded at Real Madrid during the match against Elche. Kylian Mbappé, Ibrahima Konaté and Vinícius Júnior chose to lift up their shirts in a way that made the slogan "Todos somos Caballas" less visible than on their teammates.
Their action triggered a wave of reactions and criticism. Real Madrid then confirmed that each player was free to decide for himself whether or not to take part.
Morocco international Abdessamad Ezzalzouli also copped a harsh campaign of criticism after wearing a shirt in support of Ceuta alongside his Real Betis teammates before the match against Villarreal.
All of this plays out against a particular sensitivity surrounding Lamine Yamal. Born in Spain to a Moroccan father and a mother from Equatorial Guinea, he came close to playing for Morocco before choosing Spain, and he has since become one of the world's most prominent stars at an early age after claiming the World Cup and European Championship titles.
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