Mbappé regrets over Mao comments after criticism in China

MADRID, Spain, Oct 27 – Kylian Mbappé has apologised for “ill-judged” comments he made about late Chinese leader Mao Zedong which led to him being dropped by several Chinese brands. Mbappé had reportedly told French talk show The Bridge 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 then laughs as the programme cuts to a meme showing his face superimposed on an image resembling Mao. The meme is part of a running joke about the Real Madrid forward being called a “dictator” because of his huge influence in football. “M...

Mbappé had reportedly told French talk show The Bridge 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 then laughs as the programme cuts to a meme showing his face superimposed on an image resembling Mao.

The meme is part of a running joke about the Real Madrid forward being called a “dictator” because of his huge influence in football.

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

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

The joke did not go down well in China, where Mao is revered by the Communist Party, despite his chaotic and often violent rule that left millions dead.

Source: Capital FM Sports