BEIJING.- Kylian Mbappé He said this Tuesday that he was “sincerely sorry” for his “clumsy statements” about the historic Chinese leader Mao Zedongafter a wave of criticism and the cancellation of advertising contracts in China.
The beverage giants Dongpeng and dairy products Mengniuas well as the cheese maker Milkground, They announced this Tuesday in practically identical terms the break with immediate effect of their collaboration with Mbappé.
They claimed to have “zero tolerance” for acts and statements “that hurt national feelings.”
Another immediate consequence was the announcement by the Chinese state audiovisual group CMGwhich controls public television CCTV and confirmed on Tuesday that it had suspended the broadcast of matches Spanish LaLiga, in addition to “all matches and advertisements that involve the player”, after some “very serious” statements.
The reason: the dissemination on social networks of a recording in which the striker of the real Madrid talks about the memes he is the subject of.
In it, he says the funniest thing he’s ever seen is a photo montage of his face superimposed on that of a man he believes is “a Chinese dictator.”
His comment appears to reference a meme that shows the player’s face superimposed on an image of ancient Chinese leader Zedong.
“I apologize to all those who have offended my words. It was not at all my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, I am sincerely sorry,” the player declared on Tuesday in a statement in French, English and Mandarin transmitted to AFP.
“During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself. My statements were clumsy and I understand today that they have hurt numerous people in China and within the Chinese community throughout the world,” he continued.
But the spokesperson for the Asian country’s foreign ministry, Guo Jiakun, In a press conference this Tuesday, he considered it natural for all Chinese to repudiate the statements.
“Any comment or act that hurts the feelings of the Chinese people is naturally met with common rejection by the entire Chinese society,” he said.
LaLiga “deeply regretted” the French striker’s statements and offered “apologies to all those who have felt offended,” said the president of the entity. Javier Tebasin a statement from the Spanish soccer championship.
“Red line”
The captain of the French team is a constant target of montages in which he is compared to historical figures.
However, the meme that generated controversy among the Chinese refers to a central character in the history of the Asian giant, always described and officially revered as a hero.
The “Great Helmsman”, who died in 1976, was the leader of the communist revolution and proclaimed the People’s Republic in 1949.
The video provoked reactions on social networks that reflect the delicacy of the subject and that are at the height of the athlete’s fame.
“Dongpeng drinks end collaboration with Mbappé” became the most commented topic on the social network Weibowith 430 million visits.
“Some will say: how does this happen in other countries? But in China, these are inappropriate and extremely serious comments that have crossed the red line,” commented one user.
“I will never buy products from Dongpeng or Mengniu again if legal action is not taken” against the player to seek compensation, added another.
Dongqiudi, a website specialized in football, criticized these words on Monday night as “offensive to China and the Chinese people”, which it preferred not to translate.
Mbappé is extremely popular in China, where football arouses great enthusiasm despite the poor results of the national team, which has not qualified for the World Cup since its only participation in 2002.
There the exploits and lives of the great football figures are closely followed.
Banned on RedNote
Mbappé has a million followers on Weibo and 1.1 million in Xiaohongshuanother social network also known as RedNote or the Chinese Instagram.
During the last World Cup, the brands that have now turned their backs on him widely distributed advertisements that used his image and that were generated by artificial intelligence.
Mbappé has now been banned from posting on Xiaohongshu “for violating community rules,” the account associated with his name on the social network said Tuesday.
Mbappé’s name or traits have been commonly associated with authority figures on social media due to the influence attributed to him in the locker room.
The wave of criticism in China comes the day after its disappointment in the Ballon d’Or 2026awarded to the English striker Harry Kane.
Before Mbappé, other great athletes have suffered strong negative reactions for comments about the president Xi Jinping, Taiwan either Hong Kong.
