Real Madrid have officially apologised to the Chinese people for inappropriate comments made by Kylian Mbappé regarding late Chinese leader Mao Zedong, following intense diplomatic and commercial pressure that saw state media suspend La Liga broadcasts and major sponsors sever ties, according to ntv.de.
How a Social Media Video Triggered a Diplomatic Breach
The controversy erupted after an online video showed the 27-year-old laughing and remarking that the funniest meme he had ever seen featured his own face photoshopped onto a “Chinese dictator,” referencing Mao Zedong. In China, where jokes about the 1976-deceased founder of the People’s Republic remain a deeply sensitive cultural red line, the reaction was swift and unforgiving. According to ntv.de, Mbappé quickly issued an apology, admitting his remarks were unconsidered. Yet the fallout continued to widen as state-backed entities and commercial partners moved decisively against the player.
China Media Group, the state-backed owner of broadcaster CCTV, reacted by halting all broadcasts of the Spanish league. Concurrently, two major Chinese corporate partners cancelled their commercial agreements with Mbappé. Public anger quickly spilled over onto the player’s club. On Baidu, a prominent search engine, queries questioning how long Real Madrid intended to keep their heads in the sand climbed to the fifth spot among trending topics, fuelled by criticism from the state-run Global Times over the club’s initial silence and failure to discipline the player.
Diverging Responses from Madrid and La Liga
The institutional management of the crisis exposed a sharp split between the club and the league’s executive leadership. While Real Madrid initially maintained distance from the player’s personal expression—insisting through reports in OK Diario and Foot Mercato that commercial partnerships remained unchanged—La Liga president Javier Tebas took immediate conciliatory steps. Tebas held an emergency meeting with the Chinese ambassador to Spain, offering a direct apology on behalf of the competition to preserve regional relations.
That initial divergence drew sharp rebukes from Beijing. A spokesperson for the Sports and Youth Centre of China Media Group publicly rejected Real Madrid’s early justifications, stating that the club bore heavy responsibility and that Mbappé’s comments had crossed red lines beyond the limits of freedom of expression. The media group explicitly warned that all discussions and verification of commercial ties would remain suspended until the club issued a formal apology.
| Entity | Initial Position | Subsequent Action |
|---|---|---|
| Kylian Mbappé | Reacted to meme in viral video | Issued public apology acknowledging unconsidered remarks |
| La Liga (Javier Tebas) | Immediate diplomatic engagement | Held emergency meeting with Chinese ambassador to apologise |
| Real Madrid | Initially distanced club from personal comments | Released formal apology to the Chinese people and nation |
| China Media Group | Suspended broadcasts | Rejected club justifications and demanded direct institutional apology |
The Turning Point and Institutional Apology
Facing escalating commercial isolation in a critical overseas market, Real Madrid abandoned their initial reluctance and issued a formal statement. The club declared that they wished to apologise to the Chinese people for any upset caused by their player’s recent remarks, emphasising a deep respect for China, its history, culture, and millions of local supporters.
The diplomatic pivot registered immediately within state channels. During a regular press briefing on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun addressed the development directly. According to ntv.de, Guo stated that Beijing takes the apology offered by the concerned party seriously, marking a potential stabilisation point in a high-stakes cultural clash that tested the limits of European football diplomacy in Asia.
