China accepts Mbappé apology over ‘ill-judged’ joke on Mao Zedong

China has said it is taking Kylian Mbappe’s apology seriously after remarks mocking former leader Mao Zedong sparked a social media backlash and prompted Spanish football to be pulled from state television.

Earlier, Mbappé, 27, apologised for an “ill-judged” comment about late Chinese leader.

The star athlete had joked about a meme depicting the French footballer as Mao on a French talk show, The Bridge. He is often referred to as a “dictator” due to his impact on the sport.

He told the talk show that the meme “that makes me laugh the most, it’s the one where there’s a video of a guy, I think it’s a Chinese dictator…” He went on to laugh over the clip that shows the meme of his face superimposed on an image resembling Mao.

“My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” he said in a statement.

“I apologise to everyone my words have upset.”

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told the media on Wednesday: “We take seriously the apology the individual concerned has made.”

In China, mocking Mao is taboo.

Spain’s La Liga also issued an apology, saying it “deeply regrets the offence that Kylian Mbappé’s recent comments have caused among Chinese fans”.

The backlash appeared to begin on Monday night, after Chinese football forum Dongqiudi highlighted the comments in a statement, describing them as “inappropriate” and saying they had “hurt the feelings of Chinese people”.

After his remarks on the talk show, several Chinese brands, including dairy giant Mengniu and drinks company Dongpeng, moved to cut ties with the Real Madrid forward.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reportedly stopped featuring Mbappé in its news coverage and halted La Liga broadcasts, according to Chinese media.

Mbappé’s accounts on Chinese social media platforms Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote) and Weibo were also reportedly restricted, despite the footballer having more than a million followers on Xiaohongshu.

Weibo displayed a notice saying that “the user has been banned from following due to violating laws or the Weibo Community Convention”.

It was also reported that several luxury brands that Mbappé is associated with had taken down posts featuring the French footballer from their Weibo accounts.

The controversy spread rapidly on Chinese social media, with some users calling for a boycott of Mbappé and Real Madrid. Mbappé featured in five of the top 10 trending topics on Weibo on Tuesday, with the hashtag “multiple brands terminate partnerships with Mbappé” topping the list.

“Don’t ever come to China,” read one of the comments on the platform.

The athlete was accused of “profiting from the Chinese market yet making remarks that offend the Chinese public”.

“International public figures, in particular, should show greater respect and sensitivity, as national sentiment must never be taken lightly,” another comment on Weibo read.

Mao remains a highly sensitive figure in China despite, as historians point out, his rule being marked by mass famine and political violence that killed millions. The ruling Communist Party continues to regard him as a national icon.

In the now-deleted clip from the French talk show that were earlier circulating online, Mbappé does not name Mao explicitly, saying instead that he “uses [the meme] with friends all the time”.

The Chinese forum Dongqiudi also earlier stated that it was “unable to translate” the footballer’s comments because they were “offensive to China and the Chinese people”.