French football star Kylian Mbappé is facing criticism from some Chinese fans after controversial remarks about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, with videos circulating online showing his jersey being burnt and promotional posters being torn down.
In one viral video, a disgruntled Chinese man expressed his anger and disappointment over Mbappé’s comments, which he considered disrespectful to China’s former leader. The man was seen holding a blue France national team jersey bearing the Real Madrid forward’s name before setting it on fire and burning it completely.
In another video, a Chinese man was captured removing and tearing down Mbappé’s posters from a vehicle and other locations around the city in protest against the footballer’s remarks.
Following the backlash, Mbappé reportedly issued an official apology to the Chinese people, admitting his mistake and expressing regret for the offence caused by his comments.
Real Madrid and La Liga also apologised over the controversy and called for a swift resolution to the dispute to protect their relationship with China.
However, reports indicate that Chinese authorities remain dissatisfied, maintaining that an apology alone may not be enough to settle the controversy surrounding Mbappé’s remarks about Mao Zedong.
Chinese state television reportedly announced the termination of its agreement to broadcast La Liga matches, triggering efforts to resolve the dispute. Other reports suggest that even if some league matches continue to air, Real Madrid fixtures could be excluded until the controversy is addressed.
The incident reportedly originated from a video on The Bridge, in which Mbappé joked about an edited image portraying him as Mao Zedong. During the discussion, the French international referred to the former Chinese leader as a “Chinese dictator” without directly mentioning his name, sparking the controversy and subsequent backlash.
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