Mbappe's Mao Remark Sparks Outrage in China, Leading to Apology and Broadcast Suspensions

Kylian Mbappe, the global football sensation playing for France and Real Madrid, has issued an apology after his comments referencing Mao Zedong ignited a social media firestorm in China, resulting in Spanish football broadcasts being removed from state television.

Mocking the former Chinese leader, who historians attribute to millions of deaths, is a sensitive issue in China. Mbappe's remarks have made him the latest foreign sports figure to draw Beijing's ire. A clip from the French show 'The Bridge,' which has since been removed, featured Mbappe expressing amusement at an internet meme that superimposed his face onto an image of "some guy, think he’s a Chinese dictator," an apparent allusion to Mao Zedong.

"My comment was ill-judged and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world. I apologise to everyone my words have upset," the France captain stated in a release in French, Chinese, and English on Tuesday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun confirmed at a regular briefing on Wednesday: "We take seriously the apology the individual concerned has made." However, the repercussions may extend further. La Liga, whose match broadcasts in China have been suspended, stated it "deeply regrets the offence that Kylian Mbappe’s recent comments have caused among Chinese fans."

Chinese beverage giant Dongpeng, which featured AI-generated images of Mbappe in its World Cup advertisements this year, announced on Tuesday the termination of its partnership with the player. Dairy firms Mengniu and Milkground have also followed suit. CMG, the entity overseeing public broadcaster CCTV, has decided to suspend broadcasts of the world's second-richest football league, following a similar move with England's Premier League.

On Wednesday, the 27-year-old continued to face intense criticism from Chinese internet users, with some comments containing racist undertones. "His remarks were hurtful toward China and the Chinese people, so they cannot be translated," one user commented on the social media platform Weibo.

Mbappe's original joke about Mao was not reposted or had been scrubbed from China's heavily regulated social media landscape. The Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu has frozen Mbappe's account, which boasts over a million followers. Similarly, the Weibo app has banned the user, citing violations of laws or the Weibo Community Convention.

Some Chinese media reports indicated that global brands such as Dior and Hublot had removed their Mbappe-related content from Weibo. An AFP search on Dior and Hublot's Weibo pages using Mbappe's Chinese name yielded no results.

The impact of the controversy was also felt offline. At the Adidas flagship store in Beijing's Sanlitun shopping district, Real Madrid jerseys were available, but none bore the striker's name. Mbappe merchandise, including unofficial jerseys, beanies, and caps, remains accessible on the retail app Taobao.

Previously, Chinese state media had lauded Mbappe as a "footballing sensation" and "talent," and he was widely admired by fans in the country. His image was prominent on billboards, soft drink advertisements, and across social media. Mbappe is also affectionately known as "Guigui," meaning "turtle" in Chinese, due to his perceived resemblance to a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle character.

This incident echoes previous controversies involving major overseas sports leagues and China. In October 2019, China suspended sponsorship deals with the NBA and halted NBA game broadcasts on state television for a year after Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey tweeted, "Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong," a reference to protests Beijing deemed separatist and seditious.

An opinion piece in the official People's Daily this week stated, "In this era of economic globalisation, an increasing number of celebrities are stepping onto the global stage, engaging with fans and business partners from diverse cultural backgrounds." The article emphasized, "Learning how to respect different nations and cultures is an essential lesson. Respecting the history, culture, social customs and national sentiments of others is a fundamental principle for cross-border interaction, a standard of conduct widely upheld by the international community."