The fallout from Kylian Mbappé's crisis over his comments about the Chinese leader Mao Zedong has not ended. The controversy has shifted from the French player to Real Madrid, who are facing criticism in China over what has been described as their slowness in dealing with the issue, amid accusations of double standards in their stance.
Mbappé sparked widespread anger in China after describing Mao Zedong, in the context of a joke, as "the Chinese dictator". He rushed to apologise following the wave of criticism that swept the country.
The repercussions did not stop at media reactions. Chinese platforms moved to block images of the French star, while two Chinese companies, "Pocket" for isotonic drinks and "Mengniu" for dairy products, ended their cooperation with him.
Guo Jiakun, the spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, responded to the player's apology with a brief phrase: "I have already answered this question. We appreciate the apology offered by the person concerned."
The crisis spread to Spanish football after China partially suspended the broadcasting of La Liga matches on its territory. That prompted Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga, to meet the Chinese ambassador in Spain.
Real Madrid in the firing line of Chinese criticism
According to the French network "Foot Mercato", the circle of controversy has widened to include Real Madrid themselves. Official media outlets and Chinese government platforms accused the club of following a "double standards" policy, pointing to the difference in the way it dealt with the Mbappé crisis compared to its previous stances on racism issues targeting its player Vinícius Júnior.
Madrid had issued a public apology over the crisis, but only 48 hours after it erupted. Chinese media outlets considered that timing late, given the sensitivity of the issue within the country.
Those outlets pointed out that Real Madrid had, on previous occasions, rushed to condemn the racism incidents Vinícius suffered, yet chose silence at the start of the Mbappé crisis before intervening later. That raised questions about why the reactions differed so sharply.
The "Marca" website reported that Chinese media outlets linked this delay to Real Madrid's desire to balance "preserving the commercial value of its leading star" with "the gains provided by the Chinese market".
For its part, the "Guangxi News" newspaper warned that regaining trust will not be easy, stressing that the matter "will require concrete measures" from the Spanish club.