La Liga apologizes to Chinese fans for Mbappe scandal
The Spanish Football League (La Liga) has apologized to Chinese fans for the statements made by Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe, which caused a public outcry in China. This was announced on October 27 on the organization's website.
"I want to personally apologize to the Chinese fans for the offense. I deeply respect China, its institutions and people, and appreciate the trust they have placed in our football over the years," said La Liga President Javier Tebas.
The organization stressed that the player expressed a personal opinion that does not reflect the position of the Spanish championship. At the same time, the league management considered it necessary to apologize on behalf of all the clubs participating in the tournament.
Tebas also promised to strengthen his work with football players and teams aimed at increasing respect for the cultural peculiarities of different countries. According to him, the league intends to take concrete steps to avoid a repeat of such situations.
In particular, together with clubs and players, it is planned to develop a special protocol providing for information and intercultural communication measures.
In addition, La Liga will continue to work with Chinese partners and local organizations to resolve the consequences of the scandal. The leadership of the championship stressed that respect for representatives of different cultures and the strengthening of international relations remain important principles of Spanish football.
On the same day, Chinese beverage manufacturer Eastroc Beverage and Chinese food company Mengniu Dairy announced the termination of cooperation with French football player Kylian Mbappe after his joke about Mao Zedong. Later, China Central Television suspended broadcasts of Spanish La Liga matches amid the scandal.
The reason for the scandal was an interview with a Real Madrid football player, in which he talked about his favorite Internet memes. Mbappe said that his favorite meme is his face, edited with a graphic editor and superimposed on the face of a certain "Chinese dictator."
Mbappe himself apologized to the people of China. He noted that he did not intend to offend the Chinese fans and expressed regret over the incident and noted that he deeply respects the people of China and its history.
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