Real Madrid has issued a formal apology to China over comments made by France forward Kylian Mbappe, following mounting pressure that threatened the club’s commercial relationships in the Chinese market.
The statement came almost a full day after Mbappe and La Liga president Javier Tebas had apologised publicly. It also followed widespread criticism of Real Madrid’s earlier position, with reports in Spain and France suggesting the club had initially refused to apologise and sought to separate Mbappe’s personal remarks from its responsibilities to Chinese partners.
In a statement published on the club’s official website, Real Madrid apologised to the Chinese people for any offence that Mbappe’s recent comments may have caused.
The club said it respected China, its history, culture and people, as well as the millions of Chinese supporters who hold the club in high regard.
Real Madrid added that it joined the public apology made by Mbappe, who had expressed regret over his remarks, and reaffirmed its commitment to “respect, coexistence and understanding between cultures”.
Chinese group demands public apology
The club’s statement came after a spokesperson for the Sports and Youth Centre of the Chinese media group that owns CCTV rejected Real Madrid’s earlier explanations.
The spokesperson said Mbappe was a Real Madrid player and that the club therefore carried significant responsibility for what he said. They also argued that the comments went beyond the limits of freedom of expression and insulted the Chinese people.
The group said it would suspend discussions involving the club until a public apology was issued.
It also rejected the suggestion that Real Madrid’s continued partnerships in China showed its commercial relationships had not been affected. The spokesperson warned that insulting the Chinese people would provoke widespread anger.
Reports that Real Madrid intended to maintain its commercial ties with China had emerged before the apology. The club was said to view Mbappe’s words as a personal position that did not represent its own stance.
Mbappe and Tebas apologised first
Mbappe had already apologised publicly before Tebas followed suit on the previous day. Tebas’s apology came during a meeting with the Chinese ambassador to Spain, as efforts continued to contain the dispute.
The controversy has had commercial consequences for Mbappe, with Chinese companies ending their partnerships with the France international. It has also spread to discussions around the broadcasting of La Liga matches in China.
The dispute began after a video circulated in which Mbappe discussed satirical images created using his likeness. He said the image he found funniest showed his face superimposed on the body of a man believed to be a Chinese dictator.
The comments drew strong criticism in China, with Mbappe accused of insulting national sentiment. What began as a social media controversy subsequently developed into a wider dispute affecting sponsorship agreements and sports broadcasting.
