Fresh details have emerged about the initiative that surfaced across several La Liga matches in recent days, carrying a message of support to the city of Ceuta. The shirts worn by some players sparked wide controversy, not least because clubs and players took such differing stances towards it.
According to Marca, the initiative is backed by the Valencia Business Association, one of the region's most prominent business groups, chaired by former Real Madrid president Vicente Boluda. That direct link explains much of the background and the parties behind it.
The shirts carried the phrase "We are all from Ceuta", alongside another reading "Ceuta and the Knights of the Sea". On the back appeared the name "Ceuta" and the emblem of Spain, a message the association said aims to express solidarity with the city's residents and to affirm territorial and social cohesion in Spain.
Marca clarified that the initiative did not come from La Liga or the government of the Valencia region. It started with the Valencia Business Association, which announced it officially through its accounts on 10 September of this year.
The association then told the clubs of the Valencia region they could wear the shirts during matches. La Liga approved the move, and it later appeared in a number of fixtures, worn by the clubs behind the initiative and their opponents alike.
Villarreal were among the most prominent clubs to welcome the idea, given the ties of the Roig family, who own the club, to the Valencia Business Association. According to Marca, the club affirmed its readiness to support any new initiative in the same direction.
The shirts appeared in the clash between Levante and Barcelona. The Catalan side's players did not wear them after the club refused to take part, while Levante's players did.
In the match between Elche and Real Madrid, a number of players from both teams wore the shirts. Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Ibrahima Konate did not display the main message fully after they covered it, while Vinicius and Mbappe took off the shirt before the handshake ceremony.
All this followed the appearance of Abdessamad Ezzalzouli in a shirt supporting Ceuta during the match between Villarreal and Real Betis. That exposed him to criticism and abuse from some Moroccan fans, before the player insisted the shirt carried a social rather than a political character.
Despite the controversy, the Valencia Business Association issued no comment on the stances of players or clubs in the recent matches. It merely affirmed that its stated aim is to express solidarity with the residents of Ceuta and to strengthen "territorial and social cohesion in Spain".