Real Madrid stood firm longer than most clubs would – all of a few hours – before bending the knee to China and issuing a formal apology amid the controversy and backlash involving forward Kylian Mbappe and a meme of the late dictator Mao Zedong.
The club initially argued that Mbappe had no intent to offend while also explaining that players have freedom of expression, which predictably did not go over well.
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During a recent interview on The Bridge, a French talk show hosted by Mbappe’s Real Madrid teammate Aurelien Tchouameni, the 27-year-old superstar laughed about a meme with his face imposed on an image resembling Mao. One of Mbappe’s most popular nicknames is “The Dictator,” hence the meme and joking around.
China did not find anything funny about the French star laughing at a meme of Mao, the communist dictator whose regime resulted in tens of millions of deaths. Several Chinese sponsors severed ties with Mbappe, and state-run CCTV stopped airing La Liga matches in China, the top-flight league in Spain that featured Real Madrid and 19 other clubs.
La Liga wasted no time in issuing a public apology, explaining that Mbappe’s comments do not represent the league. Less than an hour later came Mbappe’s own public apology, which included a note that he now understands his comments “hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world.”
Real Madrid did not follow suit with a public bending of the knee to China until Wednesday, that is, after immense pressure from state-run media.
The Spanish giant tried distancing itself from Mbappe’s comments, a virtually impossible endeavor given Mbappe is among the most popular athletes in the world, by releasing comments to Spanish news outlet Okdiario.
According to the outlet, the club did not believe Mbappe’s “personal expression” would affect commercial connections in China, nor did it believe he had any intent to offend the Chinese people.
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CCTV did not appreciate Real Madrid’s initial response, and issued a statement explaining that it did “not accept this attitude” from the club and that until it issues an apology, “all other discussions are off-limits.”
Real Madrid wasted no time and issued a public apology very shortly after CCTV demanded it.
“Real Madrid C.F. wishes to apologize to the Chinese people for any distress that may have been caused by the recent remarks made by our player, Kylian Mbappé,” the apology began.
“Our club holds 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.”
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Again, all of this fallout and barrage of public apologies are a result of a French athlete laughing at a meme of a Chinese dictator who died 50 years ago.
Real Madrid may have stood firm beside Mbappe and freedom of expression, but the unfortunate reality quickly sank in with China ending the broadcast of La Liga matches and the league itself already issuing an apology.