Real Madrid have apologised to China after Kylian Mbappe made comments appearing to mock Mao Zedong, prompting widespread anger online and the suspension of LaLiga broadcasts on state television.
Mocking Mao, the former Chinese leader whom historians blame for millions of deaths, is considered taboo in China. Mbappe has become the latest overseas sports figure to provoke a backlash in the country.
In a video interview with the French programme The Bridge, which has since been removed, Mbappe said he had been amused by an internet meme showing his face edited on to “some guy, think he's a Chinese dictator” – an apparent reference to Mao.
“Real Madrid wishes to express its apologies to the Chinese people for any offence caused by the recent remarks of our player Kylian Mbappe,” the club said.
“The club joins in the public apology issued by Kylian Mbappe, in which the player himself expressed his regret for his words and reiterated his respect for the Chinese people,” added the 15-time European champions.
Mbappe had apologised a day earlier in French, Chinese and English.
“My comment was ill-judged and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” he said.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Wednesday: “We take seriously the apology the individual concerned has made.”
LaLiga said on Tuesday that it “deeply regrets the offence that Kylian Mbappe's recent comments have caused among Chinese fans”. China Media Group (CMG), which oversees public broadcaster CCTV, said it had suspended broadcasts of LaLiga, the world’s second-richest football league after England’s Premier League.
The state-run Global Times said in an editorial that it was “not difficult to see that the club's longstanding tolerance of such behaviour has contributed to Mbappe's latest offensive remarks.”
Chinese companies also ended commercial links with the 27-year-old. Beverage manufacturer Dongpeng, which used AI-generated images of Mbappe in advertisements during this year’s World Cup, said on Tuesday it had ended its partnership with him. Dairy firms Mengniu and Milkground did likewise.
Mbappe continued to face heavy criticism from Chinese social media users on Wednesday, including racist abuse. His original joke about Mao was not reposted, or had been removed, from China’s tightly controlled social media platforms.
Xiaohongshu froze the Frenchman’s account, which has more than one million followers. Weibo also restricted his account, displaying a notice saying: “The user has been banned from following due to violating laws or the Weibo Community Convention.”
Some Chinese media reports said global brands including Dior and Hublot had removed Mbappe-related content from Weibo. An AFP search of their pages using Mbappe’s Chinese name returned no results.
At an Adidas flagship store in Beijing’s Sanlitun shopping district, Real Madrid shirts were still available but none carried Mbappe’s name.
Chinese state media had previously described him as a “footballing sensation” and “talent”. His image appears on billboards, soft drinks and social media, while he is sometimes affectionately called “Guigui”, meaning “turtle” in Chinese, because of his resemblance to a character from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
China has previously suspended NBA sponsorship deals and removed NBA games from television for a year after Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey tweeted: “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.”
“Respecting the history, culture, social customs and national sentiments of others is a fundamental principle for cross-border interaction,” the official People’s Daily said in an opinion piece.