Beijing: Real Madrid apologised to the Chinese public on Wednesday over Kylian Mbappe’s remarks about Mao Zedong, as the controversy disrupted LaLiga broadcasts and cost the French forward sponsorship agreements in China.
According to AFP, the club expressed regret for the offence caused and backed Mbappe’s earlier public apology. Its statement followed criticism in Chinese state media over its initial silence.
The controversy began with an interview on the French programme The Bridge. Discussing a meme showing his face superimposed on another person, Mbappe referred to the figure as someone he thought was a Chinese dictator, apparently referring to Mao. The interview clip was subsequently removed.
Mbappe apologised on Tuesday in French, Chinese and English, acknowledging that his comments were ill judged and had upset people in China and Chinese communities abroad.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Wednesday that Beijing took the apology seriously. That response did not include an announcement that broadcasting restrictions would be lifted.
China Media Group, which oversees state broadcaster CCTV, suspended broadcasts of Spanish top flight matches. LaLiga separately expressed regret over the offence caused to Chinese supporters.
The commercial fallout extended to beverage company Dongpeng and dairy businesses Mengniu and Milkground, which ended their partnerships with Mbappe, AFP reported. His accounts on Chinese platforms Xiaohongshu and Weibo also faced restrictions.
The dispute has therefore reached beyond an individual player, affecting the Spanish league’s access to Chinese television audiences and the forward’s commercial relationships.
The supplied reports did not confirm when LaLiga broadcasts would resume or whether the sponsors would reconsider their decisions following the apologies.
