The Aporia · Real Madrid apologise to Chinese people over Mbappe's Mao 'dictator' comment

Real Madrid apologise to Chinese people over Mbappe's Mao 'dictator' comment

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Reuters. (2026, October 28). Real Madrid apologise to Chinese people over Mbappe's Mao 'dictator' comment. The Hindu. https://www.thehindu.com/sport/football/real-madrid-apologises-to-china-after-mbappes-mao-dictator-comment-sparks-backlash/article71635558.ece

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Quick Summary

Real Madrid issued an apology on October 28, 2026, for comments made by their player Kylian Mbappe the previous day, which referred to Mao Zedong as a dictator. Chinese brands such as Mengniu and Shanghai Milkground Food Tech halted cooperation with Mbappe following his initial remarks. The club’s statement expressed regret for any discomfort caused and emphasized its respect for China's history, culture, and citizens. This incident underscores the sensitivity around discussing historical figures like Mao in China, where such topics are often considered taboo.

Written by AI on 2026-10-28, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Kylian Mbappé, the French soccer star, faced severe backlash in China after a video clip circulated where he apparently joked about Mao Zedong, China's founding leader. This led to at least three major Chinese brands, including Dongpeng and Mengniu, cutting ties with him. The companies stated they have zero-tolerance policies against any behavior that offends national sentiments.

Chinese state TV also stopped broadcasting Real Madrid’s La Liga matches following the controversy. Despite Mbappé issuing an apology for his "ill-judged" comment on October 28, Chinese sports channels continued to not air Real Madrid games as of November 2, indicating ongoing tensions over the incident.

Written for “Real Madrid Apology Over Mbappe Controversy” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 23 other(s) covering the same event.

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The Hindu · 798 article(s) · 2 correction(s) detected

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Topics

China Chinese French Mengniu Real Madrid

Subjects

Chinese NORP · 6× Mbappe PERSON · 5× China GPE · 3× French NORP · 2× Kylian Mbappe PERSON · 2× Real Madrid ORG · 2× Eastroc Beverage ORG · 1× Mao Zedong PERSON · 1× Mengniu ORG · 1× Shanghai Milkground Food Tech ORG · 1×

Narrative

The backlash highlighted the risks for athletes and brands in the lucrative Chinese market, where satire about Mao, modern China's founding leader who ruled the country from 1949 until his death in 1976, remains a social taboo.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-28

2026-10-28 · The Hindu

Real Madrid apologise to Chinese people over Mbappe's Mao 'dictator' comment · assertive framing

Claims (9 extracted, 0 hedged)

Real Madrid on Wednesday (October 28, 2026) issued an apology after their French forward Kylian Mbappe sparked a fierce backlash over his comments referring to late Chinese leader Mao Zedong as a dictator. asserted

forward → issue → dictator

On Tuesday (October 27, 2026), Chinese brands including dairy companies Mengniu and Shanghai Milkground Food Tech as well as Eastroc Beverage ceased all cooperation with Mbappe, who apologised for his comment. asserted

who → include → comment

In a video on a French podcast that has since been taken down, Mbappe is heard discussing a funny meme where his face had been photoshopped on to that of "some guy — I think he's a Chinese dictator". asserted

he → take → that

"Real Madrid CF wishes to express its apologies to the Chinese people for any discomfort caused by the recent words of our player Kylian Mbappe," Real said in a statement. asserted

Real → wish → statement

"Our club maintains a deep respect for China, its history, its culture and its citizens, as well as for the millions of Chinese fans who feel affection and admiration for Real Madrid," the statement added. asserted

statement → maintain → Madrid

who → highlight → 1976

Fans have been creating memes superimposing Mbappe's face on images of military and political leaders to suggest that he has the power to influence decisions at the teams he plays for. asserted

he → create → teams

Mbappe has been nicknamed "the dictator" in the European press. asserted

Mbappe → nickname → press

On Wednesday (October 28, 2026), when asked what China thought of Mbappe's apology, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said: "We take seriously the apology that the person has made." asserted

person → ask → that