China forces Mbappé to apologise amid censored meme controversy
A meme linking the French football star to a Mao‑like figure sparked a backlash that saw Chinese brands drop him and La Liga broadcasts suspended.
On Monday night, while attending the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London, Kylian Mbappé became the focus of a major controversy on Chinese social media.
Fans discovered a clip in which the French forward joked about a meme that he says makes him “laugh the most.” The meme places his face on a “Chinese dictator” that resembles Mao Zedong, the leader associated with one of China’s bloodiest historical periods.
The story spread rapidly, prompting Chinese brands to sever ties with the player one after another. China Media Group, the parent of state broadcaster CCTV, suspended its broadcasts of La Liga matches. A foreign ministry spokesperson warned that “words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.”
Despite the uproar, few Chinese net users explicitly named Mao or described the offending content, likely due to the country’s tight censorship that isolates 1.4 billion people from the global internet.
The accusation of “hurting the feelings of the Chinese people” proved sufficient to trigger a wave of anger, amplified by platform algorithms and a controlled online environment where dissent is risky.
Mbappé soon issued a statement saying he was “sincerely sorry” for his “ill‑judged” comment. Real Madrid and the Spanish league La Liga also released apologies, acknowledging China’s importance as a market for football.
Beijing later said it was taking the footballer’s apology “seriously,” while China Media Group has not confirmed whether La Liga broadcasts will resume.
On Weibo, a top comment read: “An apology is the least he should do, but I don’t forgive him. I support a ban on him.” Another user wrote: “Do you know who you hurt? He is the spiritual pillar of the Chinese people.” A further comment questioned whether a simple apology could ever “make everything okay” regarding the “most important figure in our history.”
Weibo users shared the clip after blurring the meme and removing references to Mao. Ironically, many are still trying to determine exactly what Mbappé said; attempts to use AI chatbots have been thwarted by the same censorship that limits discussion of the meme.
As the situation unfolds, the incident highlights how a single joke can trigger a cascade of corporate and media reactions in a market where online speech is heavily monitored.
