The Bridge apologises after Mbappé's Mao Zedong joke sparks China backlash

Mbappé and The Bridge apologise after a video showed him joking about Mao Zedong memes; he has already lost three Chinese sponsorship deals and CCTV suspended La Liga broadcasts.

A video clip from The Bridge, the show presented by Real Madrid's Aurélien Tchouaméni, sparked outrage in China after Kylian Mbappé joked about memes superimposing his face onto Mao Zedong, whom he described as "a Chinese dictator". The footage was filmed in April but posted to social media on Monday.

The show apologised on Instagram within hours of publication, stating: "We regret that this excerpt hurt people in China and elsewhere in the world. We apologise to all those who may have felt hurt, to Kylian, his partners and institutions that may have been affected in their relationship with China and the Chinese people." Mbappé also issued a personal apology the same morning.

The fallout has been severe. Mbappé lost three major Chinese sponsorship deals with beverage giant Dongpeng, dairy producer Mengniu and cheese maker Milkground. State broadcaster CCTV suspended all La Liga transmissions and removed advertisements featuring the France captain.