Some Chinese fans have taken to burning jerseys bearing Kylian Mbappé’s name as outrage deepens over his recent remarks, coinciding with a wave of media restrictions and commercial severed ties targeting the Real Madrid superstar.
Media outlets, including Mundo Deportivo and Eurosport, published video clips documenting fan protests reacting to the French forward’s comments regarding a meme depicting his face on the body of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
One video showed a supporter stomping on images of Mbappé before setting fire to his France national team shirt, stating: “I feel immensely angry about what Mbappé said regarding China. I will boycott him and never forgive him.”
At the official level, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun addressed the issue on Tuesday, stating: “Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally face joint rejection from various sectors of Chinese society.”
Responding to a question regarding the player’s apology on Wednesday, Guo added: “We attach importance to the apology offered by the individual concerned,” without announcing any decision to roll back the boycott measures tied to the crisis.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Sports and Youth Center at China Media Group (CMG) remarked: “Mbappé’s statements crossed the line, and Real Madrid cannot shirk its responsibility. We do not accept the explanation that the player did not intend offense and has the right to express his views.”
The group had previously commented on the player’s apology, stating: “We listen to their words, but we watch their actions even more, and we hope that La Liga, Real Madrid, and Mbappé learn this lesson, apologize sincerely, and rectify their mistakes.”
The fallout has encompassed a suspension of La Liga match broadcasts and Mbappé-related content on state television, while major brands including Dongpeng, Mengniu, and Milkground terminated their commercial partnerships with him, alongside content restrictions across various Chinese platforms.
Mbappé issued his apology on Tuesday in French, English, and Chinese, before Real Madrid joined him with an official statement on Wednesday, as La Liga moved to initiate direct dialogue with Chinese officials in an effort to contain the crisis.
