China does not accept the apologies from Madrid and confirms the boycott of the League

BarcelonaChina's state broadcaster does not accept the apologies from Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid, and La Liga and maintains the suspension of Spanish football league matches. This was announced through a statement published this Wednesday, in which it considers that the words are "insufficient" and that they "transgress freedom of expression". It is the firm and uncompromising response to the controversy that arose after Mbappé acknowledged that he laughs at the memes that compare him to Mao Zedong.

"We consider that Mbappé's inappropriate statements have already caused harm to the Chinese people, have crossed the limits of what is acceptable, and go beyond the scope of freedom of expression," said a spokesperson for the Sports and Youth Center of the China Media Group (CMG).

The statement was issued after both Mbappé and La Liga had offered public apologies, but at that moment Real Madrid had not yet made a statement, which is why the CMG said there was "nothing to discuss" until the whites presented apologies it deemed satisfactory. Finally, a few hours later, the statement from Real Madrid arrived, in which it offers "apologies for the discomfort that the words of player Kylian Mbappé may have caused" and expresses "deep respect for China, its history, its culture, and its citizens".

The controversy began on Tuesday, when the Chinese beverage group Dongpeng announced that it was breaking its sponsorship contract with Mbappé after the Frenchman acknowledged that he laughs at memes comparing him to Mao Zedong. The company, which also owns the beverage brand Bu Shui La, which the player had been promoting since the World Cup, released a statement on the local social network Weibo to confirm the breakup, alleging "zero tolerance for behaviors that hurt national sentiments," without specifying which ones.

Million-dollar losses and the precedent of Daryl Morey

Beyond the economic and reputational penalty that this fact may have for Mbappé, Spanish football risks losses that could exceed 400 million euros, according to initial estimates. There is already a recent precedent, in this case in top-level basketball, when the American Daryl Morey – then general manager of the Houston Rockets of the NBA – published a message on X supporting the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, which triggered a boycott by the Chinese government.