-
Kylian Mbappé apologised to China after his April comments about a meme featuring his face superimposed on the body of late Chinese leader Mao Zedong sparked widespread backlash.
-
Chinese drinks manufacturer Dongpeng Beverage and dairy giant Mengniu ended their partnerships with the Real Madrid forward over remarks considered offensive to Chinese national sentiments.
-
Real Madrid and La Liga president Javier Tebas also issued apologies to China, expressing regret over the controversy and warning against damaging relationships with Chinese fans and sporting organisations.
-
China Central Television (CCTV), the country’s state broadcaster, suspended broadcasts of matches involving La Liga and Mbappé amid the growing backlash over the controversial comments.
October 27, (THEWILL) – Real Madrid star, Kylian Mbappe, has apologised over his comments on late Chinese leader, Mao Zedong, which has caused outrage in China.
In April, Mbappé was asked about his favorite meme of himself during an interview on the French online talk show “The Bridge.”
He responded: “There are many. The one I laughed the most at is one where they put a video of a guy, I think he is a Chinese dictator, and they put my face on it. I use it a lot with my friends online.”
Mbappe did not mention Mao’s name in the video, but the photo in the footage shows his face on an altered photo of the Chinese leader’s body.
The video has been trending on social media this week with Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid and La Liga forced to apologise to China.
Mao was a Chinese communist revolutionary, political theorist and the founder of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
He served as China’s paramount leader from 1949 until his death in 1976 primarily through his role as the Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
In China, Mao is a sensitive topic, and criticising him is considered a taboo.
Consequently, Chinese drinks manufacturer Dongpeng Beverage announced on Tuesday that it was ending its partnership with the footballer, citing its opposition to remarks considered offensive to national sentiments.
China’s largest dairy producer, Mengniu, also announced that it was ending its partnership with Mbappe.
While reacting to the controversial footage, Mbappe apologised in a statement released in French, Chinese and English on Tuesday.
The statement read: “My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world. I apologise to everyone my words have upset,”
Similarly, Real Madrid also released a statement to apologise to China.
READ ALSO:
La Liga President, Javier Tebas, apologised to China on behalf of Kylian Mbappe in a post on social media.
He wrote: “La Liga deeply regrets the dissatisfaction and offense caused in China by the remarks made by Kylian Mbappé,” Tebas wrote on social media. “We understand the harm caused by these remarks. On behalf of La Liga, I extend our sincere apologies to the Chinese people.
“Over the years, we have built a relationship of mutual respect, trust, and cooperation with China and its government departments, sports organizations, audiovisual media institutions and millions of fans who love Spanish soccer.
“We cannot allow individual actions to damage this relationship, nor can we let more than 20 clubs in our professional competitions and millions of Chinese fans be adversely affected as a result.”
The Chinese state broadcaster, China Central Television (CCTV), has immediately suspended broadcasts of matches involving La Liga and Mbappé.
