"Your place is not on the national team": The anti-Semitic player supported immigrants – and got slammed on social media

Abde Ezzalzouli, a Moroccan national team and Real Betis player, faced harsh criticism on social media in Morocco after wearing a shirt supporting the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Fans accused him of harming national honor and disloyalty, demanding his removal from the national team. Ezzalzouli has previously published anti-Semitic posts against Israel.

Abde Ezzalzouli, the winger for Real Betis and the Moroccan national team, finds himself at the center of a public storm in Morocco. The affair began before a La Liga match between Real Betis and Villarreal, when both clubs took the field in special shirts bearing the inscription "Todos somos Caballas" ("We are all Caballas"), as a gesture of solidarity with the residents of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. For the public in Morocco, Ceuta is considered occupied territory and an inseparable part of the country's land. Ezzalzouli, who wore the shirt, faced a wave of criticism on social media. Many fans accused him of directly harming national honor and disloyalty, and some demanded his immediate removal from the national team roster. Ezzalzouli has previously published anti-Semitic posts against Israel and faced harsh criticism in Israel. Tensions around Ceuta and Melilla in the sports arena are rising, as a week earlier, Moroccan Maghreb Fez fans raised a large banner during an African Champions League match with the inscription "Ceuta and Melilla: two cities, one homeland – Morocco."

"Your place is not on the national team": The anti-Semitic player supported immigrants – and got slammed on social media