France and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe is pictured on a bottle of Dongpeng electrolyte drink at a store in Beijing. (EPA Images pic)MADRID: Faced with a widespread boycott in China following the controversy sparked by Kylian Mbappe's comments about Mao Zedong, Real Madrid added its own apology on Tuesday.
The move was widely viewed as a move by the Spanish giants and 15-time European champions to protect their commercial interests in China.
The furore was unleashed after a short video clip showed a meme depicting Mbappe as Mao Zedong, whom he calls a "Chinese dictator."
Three sponsors have dropped Mbappe and Chinese state TV has suspended the broadcast of Spanish league matches, jeopardising LaLiga's international development strategy.
