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Kylian Mbappé said this Tuesday that he is "sincerely sorry" for his "clumsy statements" about the historic Chinese leader Mao Zedong, following a wave of criticism and the cancellation of advertising contracts in China.
Beverage giants Dongpeng and dairy products company Mengniu, as well as cheese manufacturer Milkground, announced on Tuesday in virtually identical terms the termination with immediate effect of their collaboration with Mbappé.
They claimed to have "zero tolerance" for acts and statements "that hurt national sentiments."
Another immediate consequence was the announcement by the Chinese state media group CMG, which controls public television CCTV, confirming on Tuesday that it had suspended the broadcasting of Spanish La Liga matches, as well as "all matches and advertisements involving the player," following "very serious" statements.
The reason: the circulation on social media of a recording in which the Real Madrid striker talks about the memes of which he is the subject.
In it, he says that the funniest one he has seen is a photo montage of his face superimposed on that of a man he believes is "a Chinese dictator."
His comment seems to refer to a meme showing the player's face superimposed on an image of the former Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
"I offer my apologies to everyone who may have been offended by my words. It was not my intention at all. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, I am sincerely sorry," the player stated Tuesday in a statement in French, English, and Mandarin sent to the 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 across the world," he continued.
But the spokesperson for the Asian country's foreign ministry, Guo Jiakun, considered the rejection of the statements by all Chinese people as natural in a press conference this Tuesday.
"Any comment or act that hurts the feelings of the Chinese people naturally faces a common rejection by the entire Chinese society," he said.
LaLiga "deeply" regretted the French striker's statements and offered "apologies to all those who may have felt offended," affirmed the entity's president, Javier Tebas, in a statement from the Spanish football championship.
- "Red line" -
The captain of the French national team is a constant target of montages in which he is compared to historical figures.
However, the meme that sparked the controversy among the Chinese refers to a central figure in the history of the Asian giant, always officially described and 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 sparked reactions on social networks that reflect the sensitivity of the subject and are equal to the sportsman's fame.
"Dongpeng beverages ends collaboration with Mbappé" became the most discussed topic on the social network Weibo, with 430 million views.
"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," one user commented.
"I will never buy Dongpeng or Mengniu products again if legal action is not taken" against the player to claim compensation, another added.
Dongqiudi, a website specializing in football, criticized these words on Monday night as being so "offensive to China and the Chinese people" that they preferred not to translate them.
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 appearance in 2002.
There, the exploits and lives of major football figures are followed closely.
- Banned on RedNote -
Mbappé has one million followers on Weibo and 1.1 million on Xiaohongshu, another 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 using his image that were generated by artificial intelligence.
Mbappé has now been banned from posting on Xiaohongshu "for violating community rules," indicated the account associated with his name on the social network on Tuesday.
Mbappé's name or features have been commonly associated with authoritarian figures on social media due to the influence he is attributed to have in the locker room.
The wave of criticism in China comes the day after his disappointment at the 2026 Ballon d'Or, awarded to the English striker Harry Kane.
Before Mbappé, other great athletes have suffered strong negative reactions for comments about President Xi Jinping, Taiwan, or Hong Kong.
[Publicidad]