Kylian Mbappe apologised on Tuesday after the Real Madrid star was dropped by major Chinese brands for apparently joking about Mao Zedong in a video that has gone viral.
There were also signs of broader repercussions, with state-run The paper reported that public television was suspending broadcasts of matches from Spain’s La Liga.
The offending video shows Mbappe saying that the funniest internet meme he had seen involving him was of his face photo-shopped onto that of “some guy — I think he’s a Chinese dictator”.
This was an apparent reference to a meme of Mbappe superimposed on an image of Mao.
serious wrong remarks… crossed the red line” and others urged Dongpeng to remove Mbappe’s image from their bottles.
Dongqiudi, one of China’s biggest online football outlets, said Mbappe’s remarks were “offensive to China and the Chinese people”.
In an interview with French sports newspaper L’Equipe, the 27-year-old Mbappe in September addressed a previous meme depicting him as a military dictator.
“There’s a part of it that’s funny… but there is another part that’s a bit less funny because of the damage such people have caused throughout history,” he said.
China’s foreign ministry said it was aware of the reports regarding Mbappe, who on Monday finished runner-up to English forward Harry Kane in the Ballon d’Or award for the world’s best player.
“Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with unanimous rejection from all sectors of Chinese society,” spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular briefing.
State media outlet The paper cited sources at the state broadcaster saying that CCTV has suspended all broadcasts of La Liga matches and removed all advertisements involving Mbappe.
On the CCTV website, La Liga matches this weekend were still on its online viewing schedule.
Global sports stars who have commented on sensitive topics such as Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong have previously caused controversy in China and been dumped by sponsors.
China suspended sponsorship deals with the NBA while the state broadcaster pulled NBA games off Chinese television for a year in October 2019.
This followed Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey tweeting, “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong,” referring to protests in Beijing called separatist and seditious.
Adam Zhang, founder of the Beijing-based sports consultancy firm Key-Solution Sports Consulting, speaking before Mbappe apologised, said a rapid response was needed to quell the growing crisis.
“It’s crucial to make a sincere statement. The sooner, the better,” Zhang told AFP.
Fans made their feelings clear.
“I used to really enjoy watching Mbappe play on the pitch,” Zhang Jingqi, 30, who works at a mall in Beijing, said.
“But ever since this news broke yesterday, I have lost that admiration, sorry to say.”
