28th October 2026 – (Beijing) Real Madrid has cast Kylian Mbappe’s China-related interview remarks as personal expression that leaves its Chinese sponsorships untouched — a stance China Media Group’s sports youth centre today rejected outright, saying the club cannot escape blame and that nothing is negotiable until an apology is judged adequate.
The French Real Madrid forward apologised on 27th October, calling his comments ill-judged and saying he was sorry. Spanish press then carried the club’s reply: ties with Chinese sponsors were unaffected, and Mbappe’s words were his own. La Liga president Javier Tebas had already issued a public apology after the row broke and warned that individual behaviour could hurt the whole league.
Madrid’s line, as reported, was that Mbappe had publicly clarified and apologised, that he meant no offence, and that players retain a right to voice personal views. Sports media said the club drew a hard line between a player’s personal endorsements and club-level commercial deals, arguing that Dongpeng Beverage and Mengniu cutting ties touched only Mbappe’s private contracts — not Real Madrid’s sponsorships — and that the club had disclosed no related financial hit.
The club also stressed that partnerships with Chinese firms remain normal, including a global collaboration with Roborock signed in January this year. That claim of business as usual became the flashpoint for state television’s rebuttal.
A spokesperson for China Media Group’s sports and youth centre answered on 28th October. La Liga’s president and other parties had written more than once to apologise openly, the spokesperson said, yet Mbappe’s out-of-line remarks had already hurt the Chinese people, crossed a red line and gone beyond free speech. Because he is a Real Madrid player, the club “cannot escape blame”.
The broadcaster therefore firmly rejected the explanation that he never meant offence while claiming a right to personal expression, and said it would not accept Madrid’s attitude. On the club’s claim that Chinese sponsor relations were unchanged, the spokesperson declined to “judge truth from falsehood” but repeated that words and acts that wound Chinese feelings would meet joint resistance across Chinese society — and told Real Madrid not to indulge in wishful daydreams.
