Soccer-Morocco's Abde stands by Ceuta support gesture despite social media backlash

Soccer Football - Copa del Rey - Semi Final - Second Leg - Athletic Bilbao v Osasuna - San Mames, Bilbao, Spain - April 4, 2023 Osasuna's Ez Abde in action REUTERS/Vincent West

Sept 15 (Reuters) - Morocco international ⁠Ez Abde said on Tuesday he would not apologise for ⁠wearing a shirt supporting residents of the Spanish enclave of ‌Ceuta, after receiving criticism on social media following Real Betis' LaLiga match against Villarreal.

The 24-year-old winger was targeted by a wave of negative comments after wearing the shirt ​before Monday's game at Villarreal.

In recent weeks, there ⁠has been widespread support ⁠in Spain for the people of Ceuta following more than 70,000 irregular ⁠crossings ‌into the North African enclave from neighbouring Morocco in July.

Before kickoff at Estadio de la Ceramica, players from both teams ⁠wore shirts bearing the slogan "Todos somos caballas" ("We are all ​mackerels"). Caballas is ‌a nickname for people from Ceuta.

"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."

LaLiga and Real Betis both posted messages of support for Abde ​after his statement.

Born in Beni Mellal, Morocco, ⁠Abde moved to Spain with his family at the age of seven. ​Eligible to represent both countries, he chose ‌Morocco and made his senior international debut ​in September 2022. He has since won 37 caps for the national team.

(Reporting by Ruairidh Barlow, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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足球 - 国王杯 - 半决赛 - 第二回合 - 毕尔巴鄂竞技队对阵奥萨苏纳 - 西班牙毕尔巴鄂圣马梅斯 - 2023 年 4 月 4 日奥萨苏纳队的埃兹·阿卜德在比赛中 REUTERS/Vincent West

9月15日（路透社）——摩洛哥国脚埃兹·阿卜德周二表示，在皇家贝蒂斯对阵比利亚雷亚尔的西甲比赛后，他因穿着支持西班牙飞地休达居民的球衣而在社交媒体上受到批评，但他不会为此道歉。

这位 24 岁的边锋在周一对阵比利亚雷亚尔的比赛前穿上了这件球衣，之后遭到了一波负面评论。

最近几周，西班牙各界对休达人民表示了广泛的支持。此前，7 月份有超过 7 万名难民从邻国摩洛哥非法越境进入北非飞地休达。

在陶瓷体育场开球前，两队球员都穿着印有“Todos somos caballas”（“我们都是鲭鱼”）字样的球衣。Caballas是休达人的昵称。

阿卜杜在社交媒体上发表声明称：“这件提到休达人民的衬衫绝非出于政治目的，也并非是对我的人民——摩洛哥人民——不敬的标志。”

“这是一件具有社会意义的衬衫，旨在支持一个社区。”

“话虽如此，这并非向任何人道歉，任何想借此质疑我对祖国的热爱的人，都请随意。我将继续昂首挺胸地生活。”

阿卜德发表声明后，西甲和皇家贝蒂斯都发文表示支持。

阿卜德出生于摩洛哥贝尼迈拉勒，7岁时随家人移居西班牙。他有资格代表两国出战，最终选择了摩洛哥，并于2022年9月完成了他的成年国家队首秀。此后，他已为国家队出场37次。

（Ruairidh Barlow 报道，Pritha Sarkar 编辑）

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