French football player Kylian Mbppé has apologised for his comments to former Chinese elite Mao Ce Dun, which caused numerous reactions in China and led to several of his co-operation with Chinese brands.
The Real Madrid striker reportedly spoke of a meme comparing it to Mao Ce Dunn during an interview on the French show The Bridge. In the video, Mbpé is smiling as an image appears where his face is placed on a photograph that resembles the former Chinese elite.
The meme is linked to a online joke where Mbppé is described as a dictator because of his great influence on football.
My commission was well thought out, and now I realize that it has hurt many people in China and Chinese communities worldwide. I apologize to everyone who felt offended by my words, said Mbppé.
Reactions in China increased Monday evening, after the Chinese football forum éngqiud published a statement naming football comments as inappropriate and insulting to the Chinese people. Video and meme images were quickly distributed on social networks, where some users called for the boycott of Mbppés and Real Madrid.
Mao Ce Dunn, founder of the People’s Republic of China, remains a highly sensitive figure in the country. He is honored by the Chinese Communist Party, despite his rule marked by violent campaigns and the result of millions of deaths.
Because of reactions, some Chinese companies have announced the interruption of collaboration with football player, who has a large business presence on the Chinese market. The largest producer of milk products in China, Menngniu, declared that he opposes and tolerates no words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people. A similar attitude was maintained by the Dong-bray beverage company.
Even La League has apologized, saying it deeply regrets the insult that Mbppé’s comments have caused Chinese fans.
Meanwhile, according to Chinese media reports, state broadcaster CCTV will not publish content related to Mbppén and prevent the broadcast of La League matches.
The issue is also taken note of Chinese diplomacy. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Yian said words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people would naturally be rejected by different segments of Chinese society.
Source Layer: Dukeagini
