Javier Tebas, president of Spanish league La Liga, has taken a fresh and urgent step to defuse the crisis surrounding Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé, who sparked a wave of anger in China.
A widely circulated clip showed Mbappé joking about the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong. It triggered fury across China, with accusations that he had offended national sentiment and overstepped the mark in dealing with historical figures.
La Liga and Tebas rushed to take a decisive stance. The urgency grew after broadcasters suspended coverage of Spanish league matches in China, a significant financial blow to the competition.
Within hours of the crisis erupting, Tebas issued a statement apologising to China.
He didn’t stop there. This evening, Tebas revealed he had met the Chinese ambassador to Spain in a bid to rescue the situation.
Writing on X, Tebas said: “I met today with the Chinese ambassador to Spain to discuss the situation arising from Kylian Mbappé’s remarks, and to explore solutions to overcome this incident. Over the past few years, the Spanish football league has worked closely with the Chinese authorities, football governing bodies, broadcasters, and companies to boost the growth and popularity of Spanish football in China, as well as contributing to the development of Chinese football itself through the exchange of our expertise and resources”.
He continued: “We hope that our cooperation agreements will continue, in particular the strategic agreement with the Chinese Super League that extends until 2029, and the agreements with China Media Group (CMG), alongside other joint projects, in achieving success and contributing to the growth of Chinese football and introducing millions of fans to our competitions”.
He added: “This is a relationship built on mutual respect, trust, and cooperation, and we must preserve and continually strengthen it. We are committed to continuing to work together to ensure that an isolated incident does not jeopardise the great progress we have made, or affect the millions of Chinese fans who follow our competitions”.
Tebas concluded: “China is a strategic partner for the Spanish football league and will remain so”.
