Ibrahima Konaté spoke at Tuesday's press conference before Real Madrid's Champions League meeting with Leipzig, addressing the Ceuta shirt controversy, José Mourinho and the team's focus.
Konaté's comments on the Ceuta shirt issue
Konaté said: "Honestly, I did not understand well what was written on the shirt. After that, I learned what happened in Ceuta, and I can understand both points of view."
The French defender added: "I am from France, but my parents are from Africa, and I think there are many people living in the same situation. There is a side of the story we can agree with, and another we may not agree with."
He continued: "I understand that people who come and do bad things must be punished, but I did not understand the message at the time. I was focused on the match, and my position was to stay in the middle. I came to Real Madrid to play football, and if people are not happy with my position, that's fine."
GOAL reported that the incident dated back to 15 September, when Real Madrid and Elche players appeared in a shirt bearing the slogan "Todos somos caballas", which means "We are all people of Ceuta". GOAL reported that Konaté, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius wore the shirt in a way that obscured part of the slogan, and that Mbappé and Vinícius took the shirt off before completing the traditional greeting between players.
What he said about Mourinho
Konaté said: "Mourinho has an exceptional aura that many coaches do not have. When he speaks, everyone listens to him and respects him."
Real Madrid's priority before Leipzig
Konaté said: "If we win tomorrow, that will help us before the Clásico. But if we focus on the Clásico, we will not arrive at it in good shape. The priority is tomorrow's match, because we want to win the Champions League."
GOAL reported that Konaté also said: "We have not been lucky with the refereeing decisions."
Other points from the press conference
GOAL reported that Konaté previously played for Leipzig between 2017 and 2021, before moving to Liverpool, then joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2026.
Konaté said he had read about the Negreira case, but stressed that his task is to play football and get results.
GOAL also reported that the defender said his first experience with Real Madrid has exceeded his expectations.