Real Madrid cannot evade its responsibility for Mbappe incident

Regarding Kylian Mbappe's offensive remarks, both the player himself and La Liga have issued apologies. However, Real Madrid, the club Mbappe represents, continues to turn a deaf ear. The club has only conveyed through media interviews that the incident was the player's "personal expression" and that its partnerships with Chinese sponsors remain unchanged. Real Madrid has offered neither a formal explanation nor an apology to the Chinese public. Furthermore, it has neither criticized nor warned Mbappe over his conduct, let alone imposed any disciplinary measures. It is not difficult to see that the club's longstanding tolerance of such behavior has contributed to Mbappe's latest offensive remarks.

Mbappe is Real Madrid's star player. He receives an enormous salary from the club and wears its crest on his jersey. Much of the attention and commercial opportunities he enjoys in China stem from the Real Madrid platform, rather than from his individual standing alone. It is troubling enough that a football star who has benefited substantially from the Chinese market would casually invoke content offensive to the Chinese people in front of the cameras.

However, for the club to distance itself from the issue by dismissing it as "personal expression" effectively suggests that, when commercial benefits are at stake, Mbappe belongs to Real Madrid, but when controversy erupts, the club becomes a mere bystander. Such selective distancing deliberately blurs the boundaries of responsibility. This is irresponsible and a betrayal of Chinese fans' trust, and also a violation of the fundamental spirit of sports as a bridge connecting different civilizations on an equal footing.

This is not the first time Real Madrid has handled a controversy involving China in this manner. In June 2024, Rodrigo Sanz, the grandson of former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz, sang a racist and sexist song about Chinese women while being interviewed by a Chinese fan on the street. The Chinese Embassy in Spain lodged a solemn protest, yet the club casually dismissed the incident as the remarks and actions of an "individual fan," without imposing any meaningful consequences or issuing a formal apology.

In February 2026, Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen reposted content that was discriminatory toward Asians. After deleting the post, he apologized only on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, remaining silent across all his international accounts. Chinese fans mocked this as a "Weibo-exclusive apology." In August of the same year, an official Real Madrid international social media account published a message mourning the victims of a disaster, openly listing "Tibet" alongside Nepal as though Xizang were a sovereign state. The club has yet to issue a public apology for that incident.

Is Real Madrid incapable of apologizing? In February this year, when a Real Madrid supporter was caught making a Nazi salute during a Champions League match, the club swiftly issued an official statement condemning the act in strong terms.

When Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior was subjected to racist abuse during a La Liga match, the club publicly condemned the incident, demanded severe punishment for those responsible, and cooperated with judicial proceedings. These cases make one thing clear: Real Madrid is perfectly capable of speaking out when it chooses to. Its silence on controversies involving China is therefore not a matter of inability, but rather a case of selective accountability and glaring double standards, exposing the club's longstanding disregard for the feelings and legitimate concerns of the Chinese public.

If Real Madrid genuinely values the brand's reputation it has spent years building in the Chinese market, and if it truly cares about the feelings of its Chinese supporters, it should stop evading the issue and hiding behind carefully worded statements. Instead, the club must demonstrate sincerity by confronting the nature of the incident, issuing a formal and unequivocal apology to all those in China who have been offended, and imposing a fair and appropriate punishment on Mbappe.