Kylian Mbappe's China row explodes as state broadcaster stands by Real Madrid blackout and REJECTS apology following 'dictator' Chairman Mao quip

Kylian Mbappe's China scandal has exploded after the nation's state broadcaster refused his apology – and intends to continue its Real Madrid blackout.

China Media Group (CMG) – the state-owned media arm – insists Mbappe has 'hurt the Chinese people' after making a joke about a joke about Chairman Mao Zedong.

Mbappe is in hot water after saying his favourite meme was of his face photo-shopped onto 'some guy - I think he's a Chinese dictator', in reference to the former Chinese Communist Party leader.

Drinks giant Dongpeng and China's largest dairy producer Mengniu, who both had deals with the Frenchman, have now cut ties with him.

'Mbappe's outrageous remarks have harmed the Chinese people, crossed a line, and exceeded the scope of freedom of speech,' a CMG spokesperson said.

'Mbappe is a Real Madrid player, and the club cannot shirk its responsibility. Therefore, we do not accept Real Madrid's explanation that Mbappe "never intended to offend" and its assertion that players have the right to express their personal views. We do not accept the club's attitude.

China's state broadcaster will refuse to show any La Liga matches involving Kylian Mbappe after rejecting his apology for his Chairman Mao joke

In China, jokes about Mao – the country's founding leader who died in 1976 – are considered disrespectful and remain a social taboo

The meme that football fans had created photoshopping Mbappe's face onto Mao, which he references in the video

'Any word or action that hurts the feelings of the Chinese people will inevitably face the collective rejection of all corners of Chinese society; Real Madrid would do well to abandon any contrary daydreams.

'Until Real Madrid issues an apology, all other discussions are off-limits.'

They have suspended all La Liga broadcasts involving the Madrid star, who came second in the Ballon d'Or rankings on Monday night.

Real Madrid have since apologised, saying: 'Real Madrid CF wishes to express its apologies to the Chinese people for any discomfort caused by the recent words of our player Kylian Mbappe," Real said in a statement.

'Our club maintains a deep respect for China, its history, its culture and its citizens, as well as for the millions of Chinese fans who feel affection and admiration for Real Madrid.'

The 27-year-old has apologised for the 'ill-judged' joke, saying he has 'deep respect' for China and its history.

'During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself,' he said.

'My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world.

'I apologise to everyone my words have upset. This was absolutely not my intention.

'I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history. I am sincerely sorry.'

Mbappe apologised for the offence caused by his joke, which he admitted was 'ill-judged'

A bus featuring Mbappe for Dongpeng's Bushuila electrolyte drink is seen on a street in Shanghai

In China, jokes about Mao – the country's founding leader – are considered disrespectful and remain a social taboo.

Tens of millions of Chinese people died under his rule between 1943 and 1976 due to famine, prison labour, and executions.

La Liga president Javier Tebas has attempted to heal relations, saying: 'From LaLiga, we deeply regret the statements made by Kylian Mbappe that have caused discomfort and offence in China.

'We understand the harm caused and, on behalf of LaLiga I wish to convey our sincere apologies to the Chinese people.

'For many years, we have built a relationship of respect, trust and co-operation with China, its authorities, its sports institutions, its audiovisual operators, and millions of fans of Spanish football.

'We cannot allow an individual action to tarnish that relationship or harm the more than 20 clubs in our professional competitions and millions of Chinese fans.

'We are taking the measures within our reach and working directly with our partners and interlocutors in China to overcome this situation.

'Our commitment to China, its people, and its institutions is steadfast. A relationship built over so many years cannot be damaged by a single episode.'

Mbappe seen on various bottles of one of Dongpeng's electrolyte drinks

Mengniu milk products are seen on a shelf at a store in Beijing. The brand has dropped Mbappe after his 'joke' about Mao

The Chinese market had been a lucrative one for Mbappe due to his deals with Dongpeng and Mengniu.

Adverts showing AI-generated images of the France captain enjoying a Dongpeng sports drink were regularly shown in China during this year's World Cup.

Dongpeng said in a statement: 'Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments.'

The drinks giant added that 'with immediate effect we are terminating all co-operation with Kylian Mbappe'.

Mengniu said in a statement: 'With immediate effect our company is terminating all co-operation with Kylian Mbappe.

'Mengniu firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.'

Until this incident, Mbappe was hugely popular among Chinese fans with millions of followers on social media.

Mbappe is fondly nicknamed 'Guigui', the Chinese translation of 'Turtle', due to his perceived similarity to one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The centre-forward's comments in the video were an apparent reference to a meme of Mbappe superimposed on an image of Mao, one of several using the footballer's face and other historical figures.