Mbappe apologises over Mao remark as Chinese brands cut ties

Kylian Mbappe has apologised after remarks about a meme resembling former Chinese leader Mao Zedong triggered a backlash and prompted several Chinese brands to drop him, according to BBC News. The Real Madrid forward said he now recognised that his comments had upset people in China and Chinese communities elsewhere, and apologised to those affected.

The controversy centres on an appearance on the French talk show The Bridge, hosted by his club teammate Aurelien Tchouameni. Asked about memes, Mbappe reportedly described one featuring someone he believed was a Chinese dictator. A circulating clip then shows his face placed over an image resembling Mao. The BBC reported that he did not name Mao in the footage.

There are limits to what is known about the interview itself. The BBC said the original video was not available on the programme's YouTube channel and that the date of its first broadcast was unclear. It reported that the backlash appeared to begin on Monday night, when Chinese football forum Dongqiudi published a statement criticising the remarks. Images from the clip subsequently circulated on Chinese social media.

Among the companies cutting ties were dairy producer Mengniu and drinks company Dongpeng. Both issued statements condemning conduct that offended Chinese national sentiment, although neither explicitly mentioned the video, according to the BBC. Some social media users also called for boycotts of Mbappe and Real Madrid, while others asked what he had actually said because material circulating online had been partly obscured.

La Liga issued its own apology over the offence caused to Chinese supporters. The potential broadcasting consequences were less firmly established: the BBC cited Chinese media reports that CCTV would stop screening La Liga matches. It separately attributed to the state-owned Global Times a report that CCTV's news apps would no longer carry material about Mbappe.

The dispute also drew a response from China's foreign ministry. Spokesperson Lin Jian acknowledged the reports and said remarks that hurt Chinese people's feelings would face opposition. Mbappe's apology followed those reactions, with the striker accepting that his attempt at humour had caused hurt beyond the football audience in which the meme had circulated.