Mbappe Apologizes to China After Mao Remark Costs Him Sponsors and La Liga Airtime

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe is facing a serious backlash in China over remarks about the country's late leader Mao Zedong. The fallout has cost him several commercial deals and prompted state television to stop broadcasting La Liga matches, according to reports.

The row began with a video that spread online on Monday. In it, the France captain appeared to say that the funniest internet meme he had seen showed his face digitally placed on that of "some guy, I think he's a Chinese dictator." He did not name Mao. Al Jazeera verified that the clip, which shows Mbappe preparing to go on air, was apparently filmed in April. It was shared by the French football podcast The Bridge and has since been taken down.

The joke touches on a long-running meme trend. Fans have edited Mbappe's face onto images of military and political leaders to suggest he holds sway over decisions at his clubs, and the European press has nicknamed him "the dictator." Last month he told L'Equipe that part of it was funny, but that another part was "a bit less funny because of the damage such people have caused throughout history." In China, however, satire about Mao, who ruled from 1949 until his death in 1976, remains a social taboo.

Chinese state media avoided repeating the remark. Outlets described it only as "inappropriate remarks concerning China," and the Global Times asked, "What did he say? Many Chinese would rather not repeat it." It added that one "doesn't get to profit from China while disrespecting it." Xiaohongshu froze Mbappe's account, which has at least a million followers, and Weibo barred new followers from joining his page.

The commercial damage was swift. Chinese drinks company Dongpeng said on Tuesday it was ending its contract with "immediate effect" and has a "zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments." Dairy producer Mengniu also cut ties. Some Chinese reports said Dior and Hublot removed Mbappe-related content from Weibo, and AFP found Real Madrid jerseys on sale at the Adidas flagship store in Beijing's Sanlitun district, but none carrying his name.

The Paper, a state-backed outlet, reported on Tuesday that China's state television had halted broadcasts of all matches and events involving La Liga and Mbappe, and that advertisements featuring him had been pulled. Sports sponsorship expert Terrence Burns said Mbappe's team "knew, or should have known, what the true cost of Chinese brand endorsements was all about." The episode echoes October 2019, when China suspended NBA sponsorships and the state broadcaster pulled games for a year over a controversy.

Mbappe, 27, apologized in a statement published on Tuesday in French, Mandarin and English. He called his comment "ill-judged" and said he now understood it hurt many people in China and Chinese communities worldwide. He said he had reacted to an image of himself, adding: "I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry." On Wednesday, foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said China takes the apology "seriously."

La Liga and Real Madrid have also moved to contain the damage. League president Javier Tebas met China's ambassador to Spain and called China "a strategic partner," while Reuters reported he was considering a trip to China to avert a large financial loss for Spanish football. Tebas and Real have a strained relationship amid a power struggle in Spanish football, but both sides set aside their differences. Real Madrid apologized on Wednesday to the Chinese people and said the club "maintains a deep respect for China, its history, its culture and its citizens."