Sports News

Mbappe's Mao remark: Chinese brands quit, then apologies from player, league and club

Kylian Mbappe has apologised after a remark about Mao Zedong caused a strong backlash in China and led several Chinese companies to end their deals with him, the South China Morning Post and The Japan Times report.

According to Al Jazeera, Mbappe was discussing a meme on a French podcast, since taken down, and described the figure in it as “some guy – I think he's a Chinese dictator”. Dairy giant Mengniu, Shanghai Milkground and drinks maker Eastroc ended their cooperation with him. The Japan Times explained why it landed so hard: in China, jokes about the country's founding leader are seen as disrespectful and remain a social taboo.

“My comment was ill-judged and I now understand that it hurt many people.” — Kylian Mbappe, via Al Jazeera

The apologies did not stop there. La Liga said it deeply regretted the offence, and its president Javier Tebas set up a crisis unit and met China's ambassador. Real Madrid then said it wished to apologise “to the Chinese people”. China's foreign ministry said it took the apology seriously, while state-owned broadcaster Migu dropped Real Madrid's next league game from its schedule, Al Jazeera reported.

How each outlet framed it

• South China Morning Post — published in its economy section: a star losing major Chinese brand deals.
• The Japan Times — the cultural taboo, and the risk for athletes and brands in a lucrative market.
• Al Jazeera — the chain of apologies, Beijing's response and the TV blackout.

What we don't know yet: whether the brands will return, and whether Migu will show Real Madrid's matches again.