Real Madrid apologise over Mbappe remarks as La Liga broadcasts suspended in China

Real Madrid apologised to China on Wednesday, 28 October, after comments by striker Kylian Mbappe about Mao Zedong prompted Chinese state television to suspend La Liga broadcasts. The club’s statement followed an apology from Mbappe and a wave of criticism on Chinese social media.

China Media Group, which oversees public broadcaster CCTV, announced the broadcast suspension on Tuesday. La Liga also said it “deeply regrets the offence that Kylian Mbappe’s recent comments have caused among Chinese fans”.

Mbappe and club issue apologies

In a clip from a since-removed interview with French show The Bridge, Mbappe said he had been amused by an internet meme showing his face edited onto “some guy, think he’s a Chinese dictator”. His words were taken as an apparent reference to Mao.

Real Madrid said it “wishes to express its apologies to the Chinese people for any offence caused by the recent remarks of our player Kylian Mbappe”. The club added that it joined the player’s public apology and said he had expressed regret and respect for the Chinese people.

Mbappe apologised in French, Chinese and English on Tuesday. “My comment was ill-judged and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” he said.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular briefing on Wednesday: “We take seriously the apology the individual concerned has made.”

Sponsors and social media respond

The reaction extended beyond television. Chinese beverage company Dongpeng said it had scrapped its partnership with Mbappe, while dairy firms Mengniu and Milkground also ended theirs.

Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu froze Mbappe’s account, which has more than a million followers. His Weibo account was also restricted, with a notice saying users could not follow it because of a violation of laws or the platform’s community convention.

Criticism continued online on Wednesday, although Mbappe’s original joke was not being reposted, or had been removed, from Chinese social media. The state-run Global Times also criticised Real Madrid in an editorial, saying the club’s tolerance of such behaviour had contributed to the remarks.

What the suspension means

For La Liga, the immediate consequence is that its matches are off Chinese state television following China Media Group’s decision.

The dispute has also affected Mbappe’s commercial presence in China through the ended partnerships and restrictions on his social media accounts. At an Adidas flagship store in Beijing visited by AFP, Real Madrid shirts were available, but none carried his name.