Mbappé apologises after Mao remark; Chinese sponsors exit
Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid and La Liga have apologised to China after Mbappé called Mao Zedong a Chinese dictator in a French talk-show meme comment. Mbappé, France captain, said his remark was ill-judged and hurt many people in China. Dongpeng, Mengniu and Milkground ended their agreements with him, and China Media Group suspended La Liga broadcasts. China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday 28 Oct it takes the apology seriously. Real Madrid's games remained unavailable to viewers in China on Wednesday.
Key facts
- The China Football Association lodged a stern protest and demanded a public apology from Real Madrid.
- La Liga president Javier Tebas met the Chinese ambassador in Spain to seek solutions.
- The video interview with French show The Bridge has been taken down.
- AFP Fact Check could not immediately verify the authenticity of the video.
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Why it matters
The row shows how Chinese commercial and broadcast responses can follow remarks by foreign sports figures.
What changed
First published from Yahoo Sports, The Independent, CBS Sports, DW and PBS NewsHour