China responds to Mbappe apology as broadcast and sponsorship fallout grows

China said on Wednesday it took Kylian Mbappe’s apology seriously after the Real Madrid forward’s comments about Mao Zedong triggered widespread criticism and commercial repercussions. The controversy has led to suspended broadcasts of Spanish league football in China, cancelled sponsorship agreements and restrictions on the player’s social media accounts.

The remarks came during an interview with the French show The Bridge, in a clip that has since been removed. Mbappe described finding an internet meme amusing in which his face had been digitally placed onto someone he described as a Chinese dictator, apparently referring to Mao. Ridicule of the former leader, whom historians blame for millions of deaths, is taboo in China.

Mbappe issued an apology on Tuesday in French, Chinese and English, acknowledging that his words had hurt people in China and Chinese communities elsewhere. The France captain described the comment as ill-judged. At a regular briefing on Wednesday, foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said: “We take seriously the apology the individual concerned has made.”

The response came amid continuing consequences for the player and La Liga. CMG, which oversees public broadcaster CCTV, announced that it was suspending coverage of the Spanish competition, the world’s second-richest football league after England’s Premier League. La Liga expressed deep regret over the offence Mbappe’s comments had caused Chinese supporters.

Beverage company Dongpeng said on Tuesday that it had ended its partnership with Mbappe. The company had used AI-generated images of him in advertising during this year’s World Cup. Dairy companies Mengniu and Milkground also dropped their partnerships with the 27-year-old, who continued to receive heavy criticism from Chinese internet users on Wednesday, including racist comments.

Mbappe’s account on Xiaohongshu, where he has more than a million followers, was frozen, as was his Weibo account. Weibo displayed a notice citing violations of laws or its community rules. His original joke was either not reposted on Chinese social media or had been removed. Chinese media reports also said Dior and Hublot had deleted content involving him from Weibo. AFP searches of their pages using his Chinese name returned no results.

There were signs of the controversy reaching shops. During an AFP visit to Adidas’s flagship store in Beijing’s Sanlitun shopping district, Real Madrid shirts were on sale, but none carried Mbappe’s name. Merchandise featuring the striker, including unofficial jerseys, beanies and caps, remained available through the Taobao retail app.

The backlash follows years of popularity for Mbappe in China, where state media have praised his footballing ability and his image has appeared on billboards, drinks and social platforms. Fans have also affectionately called him “Guigui”, meaning turtle, because of his resemblance to a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film character.

Foreign sport has faced similar disputes in China before. In October 2019, sponsorship agreements with the NBA were suspended and state television stopped showing its games for a year after Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey posted support for Hong Kong protesters. In an opinion piece this week, the official People’s Daily said celebrities working internationally needed to respect other countries’ history, cultures, customs and national sentiments.