Soccer-Mbappe seeks to defuse anger in China after Mao 'dictator' comment

France soccer captain Kylian Mbappe apologised to China on Tuesday after a fierce backlash over his comments referring to late Chinese leader Mao Zedong as a ‌dictator, underscoring how swiftly global celebrities can come unstuck. 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".

"During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself," Real Madrid forward Mbappe said in a statement. "My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people ‌in China and in Chinese communities around the world.

I apologise to everyone my words have upset," added Mbappe, who has ties with firms including Swiss sportswear brand On Holding, hotel chain Accor and Lego. "This was absolutely not my intention.

The backlash highlighted the risks for athletes and brands in the lucrative China 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. LaLiga President Javier Tebas said that he held a meeting with the ambassador of China in Spain to address the situation and seek solutions that allow us to overcome ‌this episode.

Our commitment is to keep working together so that an individual episode does not harm the important advances achieved nor affect the millions of Chinese fans who follow our competitions," Tebas said in a statement posted to social media. "China is and will continue to be a ‌strategic partner for LaLiga.

Other major organisations that have incurred the wrath of Beijing and Chinese netizens include fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana, Swiss watchmaker Swatch and the National Basketball Association. Some recovered quickly while others took years.

CHINA STATE TV HALTS BROADCASTS Brands including dairy companies Mengniu and Shanghai Milkground Food Tech as well as Eastroc Beverage said they were ceasing all cooperation with Mbappe effective immediately. The companies said they firmly oppose and have zero tolerance for any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.

Mbappe's team knew, or should have known, what the ⁠true cost of Chinese brand endorsements was all about," said Terrence Burns, sports sponsorship expert and CEO ⁠of the T. Swiss-based On Holding, which signed Mbappe in September after he had spent two decades at US rival Nike, welcomed his apology and said it had "deep respect" for China.

Denmark's Lego, which has a Mbappe building set on sale in China, said it could not comment. The Mbappe set ⁠still featured on Lego's Chinese website on Tuesday.