China contacts Real Madrid and La Liga over Mbappé’s remarks about Mao — Asharq Al-Awsat

In Spain, China is maintaining contact with Real Madrid and La Liga over the consequences of French footballer Kylian Mbappé’s remarks about Mao Zedong. Chinese Ambassador to Spain Yao Jing told Spanish agency EFE ahead of a forum at the University of Salamanca, Asharq Al-Awsat reports.

According to the diplomat, there are no negotiations between the parties, but they are maintaining communication based on mutual understanding. Yao Jing called the incident regrettable and said it had hurt the feelings of many people in China.

What caused the controversy

The scandal began after a video spread online in which the Real Madrid and France national team forward commented on a meme that placed his face over an image of Mao Zedong. Mbappé referred to the person depicted as some man and suggested that he was a Chinese dictator, without naming Mao.

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Afterward, La Liga, Real Madrid and the footballer himself apologized. Mao Zedong was the founder of modern China and led the country from 1949 until his death in 1976.

Reaction from broadcasters and brands

Chinese state television channel CCTV suspended broadcasts of La Liga matches, while several Chinese brands stopped using Mbappé in their marketing campaigns. Streaming platform Migu did not show Real Madrid’s match against Racing Santander last weekend, while broadcasting other Spanish championship games.

La Liga president Javier Tebas met with Yao Jing last week. He said the league was working to resolve the situation and continuing dialogue with the Chinese authorities. According to him, La Liga maintains exceptional relations with CCTV and Migu. La Liga’s agreement with Migu to show matches runs until the end of the 2029–2030 season, while the value of the league’s contracts with CCTV and Migu is around €10 million a year, compared with €100 million at its peak.