MADRID, Nov 1 — Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said yesterday the club’s involvement in the controversy over Kylian Mbappe’s comments about an internet meme about himself and former Chinese leader Mao Zedong was over, after both the player and club apologised.
Mbappe’s remarks sparked a backlash in China, with Real Madrid, the France forward and La Liga all issuing apologies, but Chinese state television nevertheless pulled Spanish football from its schedules.
In a clip from an interview with French show The Bridge which has since been taken down, Mbappe had said he was amused by an internet meme showing his face photoshopped onto “some guy, think he’s a Chinese dictator”, an apparent reference to Mao.
