On October 16, Real Madrid issued a statement calling for the resignation of La Liga president Javier Tebas. Fridays like Fridays, we think those of us who follow the exchange of statements and insults between club and domestic competition organizations with more boredom than interest.
Just 11 days later, Madrid star Kylian Mbappe struck in La Liga. A very tough one who also destroyed his own sponsorship deals. Which shows us, once again, how ignorant we are of Chinese culture.
What happened? On October 26, they are preparing for the Ballon d’Or presentation in London. Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe is one of the top favourites. He did not know that a video had been recorded for the program the bridge More than half a year ago, there was going to be an earthquake in the offices of La Liga and its representatives.
Before going to record and while they were doing his makeup, Mbappe was asked some questions. “What’s your favorite meme?” one of them. Reaction: “I laughed the most where they played a video of a guy, I think he’s a Chinese dictator, and they put my face on it. I use it a lot with my friends.” That “Chinese Dictator” is Mao Zedong. Bigger words.
The consequences have been dire. China has banned La Liga matches and ads that used the Madrid striker as a teaser will be removed from marquees, billboards and any other advertising space.
The reason? Mao Zedong is one of the legends of the Chinese Communist Party that runs the country. Politician, philosopher and revolutionary, Mao Zedong led a rebellion against China’s Nationalist Party, which ended in a civil war. Once he gained power, he established what is now the People’s Republic of China. Since then the country has been running on the basis of a one-party system.
Considered a “dictator” by most of the world, Mao Zedong is a controversial figure, even within the Chinese Communist Party. Undoubtedly, he is one of the great architects of the founding of the country and the political system that rules there today, but he is also considered responsible for the Great Chinese Famine that killed millions after leading the Great Leap Forward. Virtually removed from power, the Cultural Revolution returned it to him until his death in 1976.
Over the years, the Chinese Communist Party has had to deal with a complex game of balance between respecting historical figures and assuming the wrong formula for implementing reforms that are key to the country’s economic growth.
consequences. Although it is difficult to fit Mao Zedong into today’s China, this image remains untouched by the Chinese Communist Party, which rejects any form of humor and considers it an insult. For Chinese leaders, it is not acceptable for Kylian Mbappe or anyone else to use the image of their past leader. And very few are called “dictators”.
The immediate consequence, according to Chinese media, is that Chinese state television has stopped broadcasting La Liga matches and all matches and events in which the French star takes part. In addition, advertisements in which he participated have been withdrawn and Chinese brands Dongpeng and Mengnew have confirmed that they are breaking their sponsorship contracts.
In being chained They noted that the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson made the following statement: “We have noted the relevant reports on this matter. Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally face collective resistance from all sectors of Chinese society.”
Mbappe’s response. Once the fire was created, Kylian Mbappe published a statement in French, Chinese and English on his social networks in which he apologized for the statements.
“I was reacting to an image that put me in a situation. My words were unfortunate, and today I realize that they have hurt many people in China and in the Chinese community around the world. I apologize to those who may have been offended by my words. It was not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry for what happened.
Click on the image to go to the original tweet
La Liga’s response. La Liga didn’t take time to try to douse the flames with a statement on social networks. Its president Javier Tebas also published the same text… in Chinese:
“LaLiga deeply regrets the offense caused to Chinese fans by Kylian Mbappe’s recent comments. These comments were made in a personal capacity and do not represent LaLiga. To the extent of our institutional responsibility, we apologize on behalf of LaLiga and all its clubs.”
Click on the image to go to the original tweet
It is no coincidence that the top officials of the domestic competition are quick to apologise. The Chinese market is huge and for a decade they have been working to increase their revenue from this part of the world.
In order to attract interest, viewers and revenue, the schedule was changed to have matches at 12:00, 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm. This was clearly aimed at generating interest in this part of the world. Last year, La Liga opened its first academy in the country. And of course all kinds of clubs, including Real Madrid, have built schools in the country not only to improve their presence and image but also to find new talent.
a meme. Comparing Kylian Mbappe to Mao Zedong is not new. A few years ago, the Madrid star was compared to Donatello, a character from The Ninja Turtles. However, over the years his image on social networks has hinted at a more… totalitarian stance character, creating a metaphor for his supposed behavior in his team, formerly PSG and today Real Madrid.
His anti-apartheid stance, his statements against the French extreme right or his recent controversy regarding Ceuta and the entry of thousands of immigrants have earned him memes in which he has been equated with historical communist figures. Some montages have equated him with Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and of course Mao Zedong.
Since last year, and especially during the last World Cup in the USA, montages where Kylian Mbappe was presented as a dictator have been repeated. He is represented in military uniform on numerous occasions to emphasize his supposed totalitarian demeanor. Even Ousmane Dembélé referred to his teammate in the French team as “Mobutu”, a reference to the dictator who ruled Zaire.
is lost. Another example of how far some figures are from understanding the impact of their decisions or statements in the country is the outbreak of the controversy and China’s strong response.
In 2024, Leo Messi faced an image crisis in China because he was a substitute during a friendly match in Hong Kong for which the host paid two million euros. As if that wasn’t enough, the Argentine star, who claimed a last-minute injury, played some friendly matches in Japan a few days later, a country historically at loggerheads with China, which was taken as a major insult.
The backlash from Chinese fans, who booed Messi while he was on the bench, forced him to apologize on Chinese social network Weibo. The same thing happened to Cristiano Ronaldo when his team, Al Nasr, canceled the tour of China 24 hours before it started. On that occasion, the Portuguese star was quick and immediately issued an apology. The Saudi team also returned tickets, a course of action that was compared to the Argentine case.
Picture | Images created with ChatGPT
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