French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo has said Kylian Mbappe should be allowed to move on from the controversy surrounding his remarks about Mao Zedong, after the Real Madrid forward apologised for referring to the former Chinese leader as a dictator.
Mbappe’s comments have triggered a backlash in China, where satire involving Mao remains a social taboo. Real Madrid and La Liga have also issued apologies as Spanish football attempts to contain the dispute.
La Liga president Javier Tebas established a crisis unit and met China’s ambassador to Spain, Yao Jing, on Wednesday. The fallout has also raised concerns over the risks faced by athletes and brands operating in the lucrative Chinese market.
Diallo said he hoped the matter would soon be resolved and urged people to accept Mbappe’s apology.
“It is a controversy which, ultimately, should not, I hope, last because Kylian has very well explained the context in which this intervention took place. He has apologised,” Diallo was quoted as saying by Ouest-France.
“I believe we should now leave it at that so that he can continue his season in the best possible conditions.”
The controversy followed a video from a French podcast which has since been removed. Mbappe was discussing a long-running meme about his influence at club level when he referred to “some guy” whose face had been replaced with his own, adding: “I think he’s a Chinese dictator.”
Fans have previously used similar images of Mbappe superimposed on political and military leaders to suggest he can influence decisions at the teams he represents. The 27-year-old has also been nicknamed “the dictator” in the European press.
The repercussions have extended to Mbappe’s commercial relationships. Chinese state broadcaster Migu is not showing Real Madrid’s match at Racing Santander on Sunday, while brands including Mengniu, Shanghai Milkground Food Tech and Eastroc Beverage have ended their cooperation with him.
China Daily said the remark had “triggered a backlash among his Chinese fans, threatened his lucrative commercial relationships and offered a sharp reminder of the limits of celebrity influence”.
A spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the government was taking Mbappe’s apology “seriously”.
