Real Madrid apologise over Kylian Mbappé's Mao Zedong remarks

Real Madrid have apologised to the nation's people after Kylian Mbappé was accused of showing disrespect through inappropriate comments about Mao Zedong, the country's former leader. The club said they regretted the discomfort caused by their player's words and reaffirmed a commitment to respect, coexistence and understanding between cultures, adding that they wanted closer ties with the country.

The row began when the forward appeared on a talk show and joked about a viral image that placed his face over a picture of Mao Zedong, saying he sent the meme to his friends all the time. Mao Zedong founded the communist state in 1949 and is still honoured by the ruling party as a national symbol. Mbappé has since apologised publicly, admitting that his comments had hurt people in the country and its communities around the world.

The commercial fallout has been swift, with drinks firm Dongpeng and dairy producer Mengniu both ending their sponsorship of the player. Mengniu, the country's largest dairy producer, said it firmly opposed any words or actions that hurt the feelings of its people. Sportswear brand On, which the forward had recently joined for football boots, removed all content about him from its official Weibo account.

State broadcaster CCTV suspended live coverage of the league, prompting the competition to apologise and restate its commitment to the country. Javier Tebas, the league's president, said that the actions of a single person could not be allowed to damage the relationship. According to the Global Times, the CCTV news app no longer carries any content about the player, while Dongqiudi said it could not translate his words because they insulted the country and its people.

Foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said the ministry had seen the relevant reports and that words hurting the feelings of the people would naturally meet opposition across society.