SHANGHAI/HONG KONG/LONDON, Oct 28 — France football captain Kylian Mbappe apologised to China yesterday after a fierce backlash over comments in which he referred to the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong as a dictator, underscoring how quickly global celebrities can find themselves embroiled in controversy.
In a video from a French podcast that has since been taken down, Mbappe is heard discussing a funny meme in which his face had been superimposed on that of "some guy — I think he's a Chinese dictator".
"During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself," Real Madrid forward Mbappe said in a statement. "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," added Mbappe, who has ties with companies including Swiss sportswear brand On Holding, hotel chain Accor and Lego. "This was absolutely not my intention."
The backlash highlighted the risks for athletes and brands in China's lucrative market, where satire involving Mao, modern China's founding leader who ruled the country from 1949 until his death in 1976, remains a social taboo.
LaLiga President Javier Tebas said he had met China's ambassador to Spain to address the situation and "seek solutions that allow us to overcome this episode".
"Our commitment is to keep working together so that an individual episode does not harm the important advances achieved nor affect the millions of Chinese fans who follow our competitions," Tebas said in a statement posted on social media. "China is and will continue to be a strategic partner for LaLiga."
Other major organisations that have incurred the wrath of Beijing and Chinese internet users include fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana, Swiss watchmaker Swatch and the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Some recovered quickly, while others took years.
Chinese state TV halts broadcast
Brands including dairy companies Mengniu and Shanghai Milkground Food Tech, as well as Eastroc Beverage, said they were ending all cooperation with Mbappe with immediate effect.
The companies said they "firmly oppose and have zero tolerance for any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people".
Chinese state television has halted broadcasts of all matches and events involving LaLiga and Mbappe, while all advertisements featuring Mbappe have been removed, state-backed media outlet The Paper reported yesterday.
"Mbappe's team knew, or should have known, what the true cost of Chinese brand endorsements was all about," said Terrence Burns, a sports sponsorship expert and chief executive officer of the T. Burns Sports Group.
Swiss-based On Holding, which signed Mbappe in September after he had spent two decades with US rival Nike, welcomed his apology and said it had "deep respect" for China.
Accor did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Denmark's Lego, which has a Mbappe building set on sale in China, said it could not comment. The set was still listed on Lego's Chinese website yesterday.
'What did he say?'
Chinese state media outlet China Daily said Mbappe's remark had "triggered a backlash among his Chinese fans, threatened his lucrative commercial relationships and offered a sharp reminder of the limits of celebrity influence".
"What did he say? Many Chinese would rather not repeat it," the state-backed Global Times added. "The message from Chinese consumers is clear: Respect is not optional; one doesn't get to profit from China while disrespecting it. Not a chance."
On Chinese social media platform Weibo, one user wrote in response to the apology: "Not accepted. Not forgiven!!"
State broadcaster CCTV struck a more conciliatory tone, however, saying it would listen to what Mbappe had to say following his apology and, "even more importantly", watch what he does.
"We hope La Liga, Real Madrid, and Mbappe himself will genuinely learn a lesson from this, offer a sincere apology, and thoroughly correct their mistakes," CCTV said in a statement.
Real Madrid declined to comment.
Tebas had issued an apology earlier on Tuesday on X, saying his organisation deeply regretted the alleged comments that had caused discomfort and offence in China.
"We are taking the measures within our reach and working directly with our partners and interlocutors in China to overcome this situation," Tebas wrote. "A relationship built over so many years cannot be damaged by a single episode."
A spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry said words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people "will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society".
