Florentino Pérez to visit Ceuta alongside Pirri and Butragueño

Real Madrid will send a senior delegation to Ceuta on Friday, 18 September. Club president Florentino Pérez will travel with honorary president Pirri and director of institutional relations Emilio Butragueño. Juan Jesús Vivas, the president of Ceuta, is due to receive them in an official meeting.

THE VISIT WAS ARRANGED IN ADVANCE

The Real Madrid delegation is expected at the Palacio Autonómico at 11:30. “El País” also reports that the club representatives will sign the city’s book of honour. The institutional visit is intended to show support for Ceuta and its residents during a difficult period shaped by the migration crisis.

The timing naturally attracts attention because the trip comes three days after Real Madrid’s match against Elche. Before that game, Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Ibrahima Konaté did not fully display the “Todos somos caballas” message on shirts supporting Ceuta, prompting a broad debate in Spain.

Real Madrid sources have stressed that the visit is not a response to that incident. Cadena SER reports that it had been scheduled more than two weeks earlier, while “AS” also says the arrangements were in place before the match in Elche.

PIRRI RETURNS TO HIS HOME CITY

Pirri will be a central figure in the visit. Real Madrid’s honorary president was born in Ceuta and had already planned to travel to his home city. Florentino Pérez and Emilio Butragueño decided to join him, giving the occasion considerably greater institutional weight.

This will therefore be more than a courtesy appearance by a club legend. Real Madrid will be represented by its president and the executive responsible for institutional relations. The composition of the delegation makes the club’s approach clear.

REAL MADRID WILL SHOW ITS SUPPORT

According to Cadena SER, Florentino Pérez contacted Juan Jesús Vivas to finalise the meeting. The Real Madrid president is expected to convey the support of the club’s members to the people of Ceuta.

The club is keeping the planned visit separate from the debate surrounding the players’ actions. Its response goes beyond a statement or a symbolic social-media post: Real Madrid’s leadership is travelling to Ceuta together with a man who was born there and remains one of the most important figures in the club’s history.