Mbappé apologizes as Chinese sponsors drop him and CCTV halts La Liga
Briefing by News4U · First published
After a video circulated of Kylian Mbappé joking about a meme that appeared to depict Mao Zedong as a Chinese dictator, three Chinese sponsors ended partnerships and China Media Group suspended La Liga broadcasts; Mbappé apologized.
French footballer Kylian Mbappé apologized after a circulated video showed him describing a meme that appeared to place his face on Mao Zedong as "some guy ... I think he's a Chinese dictator," DW English reported, citing AFP, AP and Reuters. [1]
Chinese beverage company Dongpeng, dairy producer Mengniu and cheesemaker Milkground said they were ending their partnerships with the Real Madrid forward, each opposing words or actions that hurt national sentiment, according to DW. [1]
China Media Group, which oversees state broadcaster CCTV, suspended broadcasts of Spain's La Liga matches and removed advertisements featuring Mbappé. La Liga said the comments were personal and did not represent the Spanish league, DW reported. [1]
In a statement, Mbappé said his comment was "ill-judged," that he understood it hurt many people in China and Chinese communities, and that he has deep respect for the Chinese people and their history. [1]
Sources
- Mbappe apologizes as Chinese sponsors drop him and TV broadcasts are halted over Mao dictator remark
DW English · · Full text