Kylian Mbappé and La Liga are scrambling to contain the damage after a seemingly offhand comment from the Real Madrid superstar has turned into something of an international incident.
Mbappé and La Liga apologized on Tuesday, Oct. 27 for a remark that the French star made about Mao Zedong during an April interview.
The comment has cost Mbappé at least three sponsorship deals in China, and the country's state broadcaster has also announced that it is suspending La Liga broadcasts involving the Real Madrid forward.
What did Kylian Mbappé say about Mao Zedong?
Mbappé was asked about his favorite meme of himself during an interview on the French online talk show "The Bridge."
"There are many. The one I laughed the most at is one where they put a video of a guy, I think he is a Chinese dictator,
and they put my face on it. I use it a lot with my friends online," Mbappé said.
Mbappé does not name Mao, but the photo in the video shows the forward's face on an altered photo of the Chinese leader's body.
The remarks were made in April, according to Al Jazeera, but have circulated widely online this week.
What happened with Kylian Mbappe in China?
Mao is a sensitive topic in China, where criticism of the leader is considered taboo. The revolutionary served as China's leader from 1949 until his death in 1976, founding the modern day People's Republic of China.
The fallout from Mbappé's comments has been swift. Three major Chinese brands have cut ties with the France superstar: Beverage maker Dongpeng, and dairy companies Mengniu and Milkground.
"Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behavior that offends national sentiments," Dongpeng said in a statement.
In response to a question about Mbappé, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in a news conference on Tuesday: "Any rhetoric or action that hurts the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be rejected across the sectors in China."
China Central Television (CCTV), the country's national television broadcaster, confirmed to Chinese media that it had stopped broadcasting La Liga matches involving Mbappé and removed advertisements featuring the France star.
Mbappé and La Liga apologize
Mbappé issued an apology on Tuesday on his social media, releasing the statement in English, French and Mandarin.
"During a recent interview I reacted to an image of myself," he said. "My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurts many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world. I apologize to everyone my words have upset. This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history and I am sincerely sorry."
La Liga also said in a statement that it "deeply regrets the offense caused among Chinese fans by Kylian Mbappé's recent comments."
"I want to personally apologize to the Chinese fans for the offense caused. I have deep respect for China, its institutions, and its people, and I value the trust they have placed in our football for so many years," La Liga president Javier Tebas said.
"As president of La Liga, I take responsibility for working with our clubs and players to strengthen understanding and respect for different cultures. We want to nurture this relationship through actions and will implement concrete measures to help ensure that situations like this do not happen again."
In August, La Liga announced a new four-year media rights agreement with China Mobile's Migu, a state-owned platform. Tebas said "China remains a strategic market for La Liga" after the deal was announced.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why did Kylian Mbappé apologize to China? Mao Zedong controversy explained
