OMM Newsroom
Real Madrid has issued a statement following Kylian Mbappe’s remarks about Mao Zedong. The club said it has deep respect for China and the Chinese people and voiced support for the French footballer’s apology.
The statement noted that Real Madrid has millions of fans in China. Reaffirming its commitment to respect, coexistence and intercultural understanding, the club said it wanted to continue strengthening its bonds of friendship and affection with China.
During the filming of a television program in France, Mbappe was asked which jokes about him circulating online he found funny. Recalling a video in which artificial intelligence was used to superimpose his face onto an image of Mao Zedong, he said: “The video they made with that man — I think he was a Chinese dictator.”
Following criticism of the French footballer, China’s state broadcaster CCTV decided to stop showing La Liga matches and games featuring the Real Madrid forward. Several Chinese companies also ended their advertising contracts with Mbappe.
Asked about the matter at a news conference in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said: “Any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be rejected by all sectors of Chinese society.”
