Football》Mao Zedong meme caused business crisis, Mbappe apologized: his speech lacked consideration

Real Madrid star forward Kylian Mbappé caused an uproar in China when he mentioned his favorite Internet meme in an interview a few days ago. He mentioned a meme of himself and Mao Zedong, and was boycotted and banned from the country. Faced with the complete suspension of La Liga broadcasts by Chinese TV stations and the cutting of many sponsors, Mbappe officially issued a statement on social media to publicly apologize. He admitted that his remarks were ill-considered and expressed respect for Chinese history and people.

The whole incident started when Mbappe was asked in a previous interview about his favorite and most interesting meme. He generously revealed that he often shared a photo of himself and Mao Zedong with his friends. Although the French superstar only used it as daily humor, it stepped on a political red line, triggering strong protests from Chinese netizens.

Unexpectedly, the turmoil intensified. Chinese brands including Dongpeng Beverage and other Chinese brands announced the severance and termination of cooperative relationships. Local Chinese TV stations even imposed heavy penalties and announced a complete suspension of the broadcast of La Liga matches, causing Spanish football to face a major commercial crisis in the Chinese market.

Seeing that the whole incident has affected more than just him, Mbappe responded positively and apologized through a statement, "In a recent interview, I responded to a photo with my portrait. My remarks were ill-considered and I now understand that this hurt many Chinese communities in China and around the world."

Mbappe also apologized to those affected, "I apologize to everyone who was hurt by my remarks. This was definitely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I sincerely apologize for this."

In addition to Mbappe's personal apology, La Liga chairman Javier Tebas has previously apologized to Chinese fans on behalf of the league and has begun to formulate cultural communication norms between the team and players, hoping to resolve the storm as soon as possible and repair relations with Chinese broadcasters and fans.