Las Palmas president provokes Morocco: “We will never be Moroccan”

The statements were made on UD Radio, before the Spanish second-division match between Las Palmas and AD Ceuta. In comments reported by Cadena SER, Miguel Ángel Ramírez asserted that the inhabitants of the Canaries were Spanish and would never become Moroccan.

The club executive said that his club could lead demonstrations intended to remind Morocco that the Canaries belong to Spain. He also voiced his support for Ceuta and Melilla, two cities whose Spanish sovereignty is once again being challenged by Rabat.

On Bladi.net : Ceuta and Melilla: Spain toughens its stance and warns Morocco

These comments came after statements by Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi, who defended Morocco’s “historical and geographical right” to Ceuta and Melilla. Madrid subsequently indicated that it had conveyed to Rabat its categorical rejection of any challenge to its sovereignty.

Tension directly accompanied Las Palmas’s journey. The team was due to land in Tétouan before traveling by road to Ceuta. The club had initially suggested that it would not take part in an action supporting the city, out of fear of difficulties while passing through Moroccan territory.

Fear of reprisals in Morocco

Once it arrived in Ceuta, the Las Palmas management ultimately explained that this reservation had been a precaution. The Canarian club’s players then joined those of AD Ceuta wearing jerseys and carrying a banner bearing the slogan “Ceuta is not for sale, Ceuta defends itself.”

Miguel Ángel Ramírez said he was no longer afraid of the consequences of the return journey. Even a possible detention of the delegation in Morocco and the postponement of the next match against Girona would not make him change his position, he maintained.

On Bladi.net : Ceuta: Spain prepares its scenarios in the face of a possible “migration weapon”

Las Palmas’s journey through Morocco had already caused major administrative difficulties during a previous trip to Ceuta. This time, the club management feared that the message displayed before the match would be interpreted as a political provocation by the Moroccan authorities.