China made Mbappé apologise - but many don't know exactly what he said
Summary
A joke by French footballer Kylian Mbappé about an online meme depicting him as Mao Zedong triggered backlash on Chinese social media. Mbappé, Real Madrid and La Liga apologized, while Chinese state media suspended La Liga broadcasts; many Chinese users still struggled to find out what he had said because online references were censored or obscured.Key Facts
- The meme superimposed Mbappé’s face on an image resembling Mao Zedong.
- Mbappé did not name Mao in the interview, and later called his comment ill-judged and said he was sincerely sorry.
- Real Madrid and La Liga also issued apologies.
- China Media Group, the parent of state broadcaster CCTV, suspended broadcasts of La Liga matches.
- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said words and actions that hurt the feelings of Chinese people would face opposition.
- Chinese social media users shared blurred clips and used indirect references to Mao, while some said AI chatbots could not explain the controversy.
- China Media Group had not said whether La Liga broadcasts would resume at the time of the article.
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