Mbappé affair: Beijing confirms contacts with Real Madrid but asks for time

China’s ambassador to Spain, Yao Jing, confirmed on November 6 in Salamanca that China is communicating with Real Madrid, La Liga and other Spanish institutions over the controversy involving Kylian Mbappé and Mao Zedong. He said there were no formal negotiations and that people in China needed time to process the incident, which hurt many people’s feelings. Public broadcaster CCTV suspended its La Liga coverage, while Chinese brands Dongpeng, Mengniu and Milkground ended their partnerships with Mbappé despite his apology. La Liga president Javier Tebas met with the ambassador, and Real Madrid sent a letter of apology to the Chinese people.