Barcelona’s decision to reject an initiative involving T-shirts referring to Ceuta was influenced not only by the club’s reluctance to associate itself with a political message, but also by concerns over Lamine Yamal, according to information obtained by Le360 from sources close to the Catalan club.
Barcelona officials had initially been undecided over how to respond ahead of Wednesday’s home match against Racing Santander. The prospect of Barça players wearing the T-shirts had already raised internal reservations, but the club ultimately made its decision after learning that Yamal, who is of Moroccan origin, intended to refuse to wear one. Barcelona then decided that none of its players would take part in the initiative.
The decision was also intended to prevent the young star from having to bear the consequences of a move that could trigger another controversy and, more importantly, expose him to insults and racist attacks on social media.
Barcelona therefore chose to stand behind its player and act collectively. On Wednesday evening, none of the club’s players wore the T-shirt before the match against Racing Santander. A few hours later, football took centre stage again at Camp Nou, where Barcelona produced a 7-2 victory and Yamal scored late in the game.
Read also : Real Madrid defends players over Ceuta T-shirts and reignites debate on individual freedom
The Mbappé, Konaté and Vinicius precedent
The caution shown by Barcelona’s management did not come out of nowhere. Twenty-four hours earlier, Kylian Mbappé, Ibrahima Konaté and Vinicius Jr had experienced the consequences of distancing themselves from the initiative.
Before Real Madrid’s match against Elche, the three players did not display the T-shirts in the same way as their teammates. They had rolled them up, making the slogan “Todos somos Caballas” difficult to see. Their decision immediately triggered a wave of comments and criticism.
Real Madrid subsequently defended the principle of individual freedom for its players, arguing that each player should be able to act according to their own convictions.
The episode, however, went beyond political criticism. Vinicius, who has repeatedly been subjected to racist abuse in Spain throughout his career, was once again targeted with racist comments in the wake of the controversy.
That was precisely the scenario Barcelona wanted to avoid with Yamal, preventing one player from becoming the sole face of a refusal and then being exposed to a wave of abuse whose limits cannot be controlled.
L'attaquant du FC Barcelone Lamine Yamal pose à son arrivée avant la cérémonie de remise du Ballon d'Or 2025 au Théâtre du Châtelet à Paris le 22 septembre 2025.. AFP
