In sport, athletes can say things that may seem innocent but a larger exposure of the comment can cause outrage among some people in the population. Kylian Mbappé has become the latest example of this. This relates to comments made regarding Mao Zedong.
On Monday night, as Kylian Mbappé was attending the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London; he was also becoming the centre of a huge controversy on Chinese social media.
Kylian Mbappé has apologised for "ill-judged" comments he made about late Chinese leader Mao Zedong which led to him being dropped by several Chinese brands.
Mbappé had reportedly told French talk show, The Bridge, the meme "that makes me laugh the most, it's the one where there's a video of a guy, I think it's a Chinese dictator..." He then laughs as the clip cuts to a meme showing his face superimposed on an image resembling Mao.
The meme is part of a running joke about the Real Madrid forward being called a "dictator" because of his huge influence in football.
"My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world," Mbappé said in a statement. "I apologise to everyone my words have upset."
Football fans had stumbled upon a clip of him joking about the meme that makes him "laugh the most" - where his face is superimposed on a "Chinese dictator" resembling Mao Zedong, who oversaw one of the bloodiest chapters in the country's past.
The controversy spread like wildfire as Chinese brands cut him off one by one and China Media Group, the parent group of state broadcaster CCTV, suspended broadcasts of La Liga matches. A foreign ministry spokesperson said: "Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society."
Chinese fans have been criticising Mbappé – who is popular in China and has huge brand endorsements – of "profiting from the Chinese market yet making remarks that offend the Chinese public".
"International public figures, in particular, should show greater respect and sensitivity, as national sentiment must never be taken lightly," reads another comment on Weibo.
As the anger online grew louder, Chinese brands began to cut ties, although they did not explicitly refer to the video.
The country's largest dairy producer, Mengniu, said it, "firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people."
Drinks giant, Dongpeng, issued a similar statement: "Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments."
According to state-owned newspaper, The Global Times, state broadcaster CCTV's news apps will not feature content related to the French striker. CCTV will also stop showing La Liga matches, Chinese media reported on Tuesday. Real Madrid is one of 20 clubs that play in the Spanish football league and is the most decorated team with 36 league titles.
China's foreign ministry has also weighed in, with spokesperson Lin Jian saying: "We have noted the relevant reports. Words and deeds that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with opposition from all sectors of Chinese society."
On the Chinese internet, few were explicitly spelling out those words and actions or even using the name of Mao - who remains a near-sacred figure in the country.
China's sophisticated censorship system, which cuts 1.4 billion people off from the global internet, meant many didn't know exactly what had happened.
The accusation of "hurting the feelings of the Chinese people" alone seemed enough to trigger a tsunami of anger, amplified by social media algorithms and a heavily controlled internet; where people are wary of disagreeing with the majority view.
It wasn't long before Mbappé, one of the biggest football stars in the world, said he was "sincerely sorry" for his "ill-judged" comment. His club, Real Madrid, and the Spanish league La Liga, also issued apologies. China is a huge market for the world's most popular sport.
Beijing later confirmed it was taking the footballer's apology "seriously." China Media Group has yet to say whether broadcasts will resume.
The anger online lingered."An apology is the least he should do, but I don't forgive him. I support a ban on him," read a top comment on Weibo.
Mbappé didn't mention Mao by name in the interview but many felt any joke that involved the founder of Communist China crossed a line.
"Do you know who you hurt? He is the spiritual pillar of the Chinese people," read one Weibo comment liked by more than 700 users. He's the most important figure in our history. Do you think a simple apology can make everything okay?" another wrote.
Ironically, despite the heavy backlash, many on Chinese social media are still asking what exactly the French forward said. They tried AI chatbots, which are just as censored as the Chinese internet and couldn't provide any answers. Others attempted to explain, but skirted around any mention of Mao.
References were made to "the person on the 100 yuan note" and "the teacher," a title Mao once used for himself. Screenshots of the meme and interview were shared; with both the word "dictator" and Mbappé's face blurred out.
Neither the Chinese foreign ministry statement nor the apologies issued by Mbappé, Real Madrid and La Liga mentioned Mao directly.
Mao, who led the Chinese Communist Party to victory in the civil war and founded the People's Republic of China, died in 1976.
Despite the turmoil of his rule, including the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, which led to a famine that killed tens of millions and unleashed violent purges across Chinese society; he remains a revered figure in China.
A portrait of Mao overlooks Beijing's Tiananmen Square; a symbol of how central he is in the modern Chinese imagination. Unlike other former Chinese leaders, his embalmed body is placed on public display there, drawing tens of thousands of visitors every day. In recent years, there has been a revival of interest in him among young people, who read his works and watch clips of him on social media.
Chinese history books downplay the devastation during Mao's rule. The Chinese Communist Party's verdict on Mao is that his achievements outweigh his mistakes. In their eyes, he is "a great revolutionary and a great Marxist."
Outside China, history sees Mao as both a revolutionary and a dictator. And so reactions among the diaspora - dissidents as well as people whose families fled China decades ago, in the wake of Mao's rule - was very different.
"You don't need to apologise, you are not wrong," a highly liked comment written in Chinese under the football star's X statement read.
"The ones who should apologise are the CCP; they kidnapped the Chinese people and brainwashed them," another Chinese user wrote.
On X and Threads, neither of which are accessible in China, the controversy spawned even more memes. Some feature Mbappé's face on other images of Mao, while others go further, placing him on the body of current Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Then there was the rest of the internet which was simply puzzled.
"It's honestly hard to understand... It seems like people aren't allowed to speak out against their leaders. And they expect the whole world to think the same way they do? That's ridiculous," read a top comment under Real Madrid's apology on Instagram.
"How dare you call a dictator a dictator? Terrible," another user on X wrote.
Spain's La Liga also apologised, saying it "deeply regrets the offence that Kylian Mbappé's recent comments have caused among Chinese fans".
The joke did not go down well in China, where Mao is revered by the Communist Party, despite his chaotic and often violent rule that left millions dead.
A few people came out in support of him on Chinese social media but that is a rare response given China's tightly controlled internet; where people are expected to toe the party and government line on sensitive topics.
Few topics are as sensitive as Mao, which may explain why brands were so quick to terminate partnerships with a global sports star like Mbappé.
The original video is not available on the show's YouTube channel and it's unclear when the interview hosted by Real Madrid's Aurélien Tchouaméni first aired. In clips that have been circulating online, Mbappé doesn't identify Mao by name. He says he "uses [the meme] with friends all the time."
The furore appeared to kick off on Monday night after Chinese football forum Dongqiudi drew attention to the comments in a statement, saying they were "inappropriate" and "hurt the feelings of Chinese people."
French Football Federation chief Philippe Diallo said Kylian Mbappe should be allowed to move on amid controversy over the France captain referring to former Chinese leader Mao Zedong as a dictator because the player has apologised and intended no offence.
Screengrabs of the clip and meme have since spread quickly on Chinese social media, with people echoing this sentiment and even calling for a boycott of both the French striker and his club, Real Madrid.
Some have blurred the meme itself as well as the part of the comment they found offensive; when Mbappe refers to "a Chinese dictator."
Dongqiudi said in its statement that it was "unable to translate" his comments because they were "offensive to China and the Chinese people".
The backlash highlights the risks for athletes and brands in the lucrative Chinese market, where satire about Mao, modern China’s founding leader who governed the country from 1949 until his death in 1976, remains a social taboo.
People should be careful what they say. Different societies and cultures have their own interpretations of certain people and topics. It's important to be in the know about things to remain in a favourable light by everyone.
One simple remark/statement can spell the "end" of a career.