October 29 – LaLiga has issued a formal apology to China after Kylian Mbappé’s joke about a Mao Zedong meme led to a blackout and the loss of two of its sponsors.
China Media Group, the state broadcaster, has halted all LaLiga coverage and pulled advertising featuring the France captain, citing “seriously negative conduct”. Drinks company Dongpeng and dairy group Mengniu have ended their deals with the Real Madrid striker with immediate effect.
The dispute began when a video showed Mbappé laughing at an edited image superimposing his face on Mao, whom he described as “a Chinese dictator”.
Mbappé apologized on Tuesday. “During a recent interview, I reacted to a picture of myself. My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and Chinese communities around the world,” he said. “I apologize to everyone whom my words have offended. This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history. I am truly sorry.”
LaLiga president Javier Tebas followed up with his own statement, with the league’s broadcast business in China on the line.
“From LaLiga, we deeply regret Kylian Mbappé’s statements that have caused discomfort and offense in China,” he said. “We understand the damage caused and, on behalf of LaLiga, I want to convey our sincere apologies to the Chinese people.
“For many years, we have built a relationship of respect, trust and cooperation with China, its authorities, its sports institutions, its audiovisual operators and millions of Spanish football fans.”
The apologies add another twist to Tebas’ relationship with Real Madrid. Just a few days ago, the club asked for his resignation because of his comparison of his communication strategy with Joseph Goebbels. He is now apologizing on behalf of the league for the club’s biggest star.
The commercial stakes are important. LaLiga signed a free-to-air and pay-TV deal with China Media Group for this season in August and has had an office in Shanghai since 2014. Whether the apology is enough to restore coverage, and how quickly, is now up to the league.
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster. At (email protected)
