French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo has backed Kylian Mbappe amid the controversy surrounding the striker’s comments about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo came to Kylian Mbappe’s defence amid controversy over his remarks, in which he referred to former Chinese leader Mao Zedong as a dictator. The French captain has apologised over the incident, saying he did not intend any offence.
The controversy stems from a now-deleted video of Mbappe’s appearance in a French podcast, where he is heard discussing a meme in which his face had been photoshopped onto that of ‘some guy — I think he’s a Chinese dictator’.
‘We should now leave it at that’
Diallo said that Mbappe has already explained the context behind his remarks and issued an apology.
He added that the matter should now be put to rest so the French striker can concentrate fully on his season without further distractions.
“It is a controversy which, ultimately, should not, I hope, last because Kylian has very well explained the context in which this intervention took place. He has apologised.
More from Football News“I believe we should now leave it at that so that he can continue his season in the best possible conditions,” Diallo was quoted as saying by French newspaper Ouest-France.
Real Madrid, La Liga in crisis mode
The controversy had severely angered China, with its state-owned broadcaster Migu suspending the Real Madrid-Racing Santander broadcast on Sunday.
Brands such as Mengniu and Shanghai Milkground Food Tech plus Eastroc Beverage, ended all association with Mbappe.
The backlash was intense, and Real Madrid and La Liga were at risk of losing a key demographic range.
Both parties also issued respective apologies to the Chinese people, with the Spanish federation in damage control mode as it set up a crisis unit and met with Chinese ambassador Yao Jing on Wednesday to contain the fallout.
The fallout from the controversy continues, and it remains to be seen whether the Chinese community will accept Mbappe’s apology and bring the matter to a close.