Mbappe Faces China Backlash Over Mao Joke as Brands Cut Ties and LaLiga Broadcast Suspended

China suspends LaLiga after striker's Mao remark

What began as a joke about Mao has left Kylian Mbappe facing banned Weibo accounts, pulled Real Madrid shirts in Beijing, and a LaLiga blackout in China - with brands from Dongpeng to Dior distancing themselves.

Real Madrid issues apology to China over Mbappe's 'dictator' remark...

Real Madrid on Wednesday issued an apology to China after comments by Kylian Mbappe mocking Mao Zedong triggered a major backlash, with the fallout leading to Spanish football being pulled from state television.

In China, ridiculing Mao the former leader who historians link to millions of deaths is considered highly sensitive, and the French forward's comments made him the latest international sports star to draw Beijing's ire.

In a clip from an interview with French show 'The Bridge' which has since been removed Mbappe said he was amused by an internet meme that showed his face photoshopped onto “some guy, think he's a Chinese dictator,” in what appeared to be a reference to Mao.

In a statement, the club said Real Madrid “wishes to express its apologies to the Chinese people for any offence caused by the recent remarks of our player Kylian Mbappe.”

“The club joins in the public apology issued by Kylian Mbappe, in which the player himself expressed his regret for his words and reiterated his respect for the Chinese people,” the 15-time European champions said.

Official Statement. https://t.co/Pk6TLbbrPF

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) October 28, 2026

The statement came a day after Mbappe issued his own apology, in French, Chinese and English, saying: “My comment was ill-judged and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world.”

China Acknowledges Apology as LaLiga Broadcast Blackout Continues

Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular briefing on Wednesday: “We take seriously the apology the individual concerned has made.”

LaLiga, whose matches were suspended from broadcast in China, said on Tuesday it “deeply regrets the offence that Kylian Mbappe's recent comments have caused among Chinese fans.”

https://t.co/MQBo9NCSy5

— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) October 27, 2026

The state-run Global Times said in an editorial earlier that it was “not difficult to see that the club's longstanding tolerance of such behaviour has contributed to Mbappe's latest offensive remarks.”

Sponsors Cut Ties as Backlash Grows in China

Chinese drinks company Dongpeng, which used AI-generated images of Mbappe in adverts during this year's World Cup, said on Tuesday it had ended its partnership with the player, a move also taken by dairy brands Mengniu and Milkground.

CMG, which runs public broadcaster CCTV, said it had decided to suspend broadcasts of LaLiga, the second-wealthiest football league in the world behind England's Premier League.

Mbappe, 27, was still facing a wave of criticism from Chinese internet users on Wednesday, with some of the comments being racist.

“His remarks were hurtful toward China and the Chinese people, so they cannot be translated,” one user wrote on the social media platform Weibo.

Mbappe's original joke about Mao was either not reposted, or had been removed from China's tightly controlled social media platforms.

Chinese lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu has meanwhile suspended Mbappe's account, which has over one million followers.

The same measure was taken on Weibo, where a notice stated: “the user has been banned from following due to violating laws or the Weibo Community Convention.”

According to some Chinese media reports, global brands including Dior and Hublot have removed content featuring Mbappe from their Weibo accounts.

A search using Mbappe's Chinese name on the Weibo pages of Dior and Hublot produced no results.

Mbappe Brand Faces Pressure in China

Offline, the Mbappe brand seemed to be coming under strain.

When reporters visited the Adidas flagship store in Beijing's Sanlitun shopping district, Real Madrid shirts were on sale, but none carried the striker's name.

Three major Chinese brands have ended partnerships with French football star Kylian Mbappe after his comments about a meme, showing his head on Mao Zedong’s body, sparked a backlash. Mbappe has apologised but the controversy has drawn criticism from Chinese fans. https://t.co/voK9P5YpOA

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 28, 2026

Chinese state media had previously described Mbappe as a “footballing sensation” and “talent.”

His face appears on billboards, soft drink packaging and across social media.

Mbappe is at times fondly called “Guigui,” which means “turtle” in Chinese, due to his resemblance to a character from the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” film.

Other major foreign sports leagues have previously drawn China's anger.

China halted sponsorship agreements with the NBA and the state broadcaster removed NBA games from Chinese TV for a year in October 2019.

That came after Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey posted “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong,” in reference to protests that Beijing described as separatist and seditious.

“Respecting the history, culture, social customs and national sentiments of others is a fundamental principle for cross-border interaction, a standard of conduct widely upheld by the international community,” the official People's Daily newspaper said in an opinion piece.