Real Madrid apologise to Chinese people after Kylian Mbappe’s Mao Zedong ‘dictator’ comment - The Straits Times

An image of French footballer Kylian Mbappe at a football field in Beijing on Oct 28.

MADRID/BEIJING – Real Madrid issued an apology to the Chinese people on Oct 28, after their French forward Kylian Mbappe sparked a fierce backlash over his comments referring to the late leader Mao Zedong as a dictator.

After apologies from the star forward and La Liga the day before did not quell the response in China, La Liga president Javier Tebas set up a crisis unit and met Chinese Ambassador to Spain Yao Jing.

Earlier on Oct 28, when asked what China thought of Mbappe’s apology, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said: “We take seriously the apology that the person has made.”

The backlash highlighted the risks for athletes and brands in the lucrative Chinese market, where satire about Mao, modern China’s founding leader who ruled the country from 1949 until his death in 1976, remains a social taboo.

“Real Madrid CF wishes to express its apologies to the Chinese people for any discomfort caused by the recent words of our player Kylian Mbappe,” Real said in a statement. “Our club maintains a deep respect for China, its history, its culture and its citizens, as well as for the millions of Chinese fans who feel affection and admiration for Real Madrid.”

China’s state-owned broadcasting platform Migu is not showing Real Madrid’s La Liga game against Racing Santander on Nov 1, and Chinese brands including dairy companies Mengniu and Shanghai Milkground Food Tech, as well as Dongpeng sports drinks, ceased all cooperation with Mbappe.

Migu is scheduled to show nine of La Liga’s 10 games this weekend, with Real’s match the only one not covered. Migu did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mbappe had said in his apology on Oct 27: “My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world.”

Tebas had later that day already condemned his comments, apologised to the Chinese people, and referenced the importance of the Spanish league’s relationship with China.

“We are taking the measures within our reach and working directly with our partners and interlocutors in China to overcome this situation,” he wrote in a post on social media. “Our commitment to China, its people and its institutions is steadfast. A relationship built over so many years cannot be damaged by a single episode.”

La Liga on Oct 28 moved quickly to set up a crisis unit and reached out to Real, a significant move following years of strained relations between Tebas and the club due to a power struggle within Spanish football. Real had recently called for his resignation.

Both parties put aside their differences, however, acknowledging the potential immediate and long-term financial repercussions of Mbappe’s comments. Following Real’s statement, La Liga officials said Tebas was considering travelling to China to neutralise the threat of a massive financial loss for Spanish football.

La Liga will also consider strengthening its institutional engagement with Beijing amid serious concerns about a sharp drop in revenue, as Chinese state television awaits further gestures of reconciliation.

In a video on a French podcast that has since been taken down, Mbappe is heard discussing a humorous meme where his face had been photoshopped on to that of “some guy – I think he's a Chinese dictator”.

Fans have previously created memes superimposing Mbappe’s face on images of military and political leaders to suggest that he has the power to influence decisions at the teams he plays for. Mbappe has been nicknamed “the dictator” in the European media. REUTERS