Morocco international Ez Abde says he will not apologise for wearing a shirt supporting the people of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta before Real Betis’ LaLiga match against Villarreal.
The 24-year-old winger faced a wave of criticism on social media after wearing the shirt ahead of Monday’s game at Villarreal.
Abde said the message was intended as an act of social support and had no political meaning or disrespectful intent towards Morocco.
“At no point was the shirt referring to the people of Ceuta used with a political purpose or as a sign of disrespect toward my people, the Moroccan people,” Abde wrote in a statement posted on social media.
“It was a shirt with a social purpose, intended to support a community.
“That said, this is not an apology to anyone, and anyone who wishes to use this to question my love for my country is free to do so. I will continue to live each day with my head held high.”
The shirts were worn by players from both teams before kick-off at Estadio de la Ceramica. They carried the slogan “Todos somos caballas”, which translates as “We are all mackerels”.
Caballas is a nickname for people from Ceuta.
The gesture came after widespread support in Spain for Ceuta’s residents following more than 70,000 irregular crossings into the North African enclave from neighbouring Morocco in July.
LaLiga and Real Betis both published messages backing Abde after he issued his statement.
Abde was born in Beni Mellal, Morocco, and moved to Spain with his family when he was seven. He was eligible to represent either country at international level but chose Morocco, making his senior debut for the national team in September 2022.
He has since won 37 caps for Morocco.