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Wednesday, October 28, 2026

← Oct 28, 2026 edition

Photo: Forbes

Sports · Soccer · 24 outlets (L 2 · C 10 · R 6 · 6 not rated)

Mbappé apologizes as Chinese brands drop him over Mao 'dictator' remark

Kylian Mbappé apologized Tuesday after a video circulated in which he appeared to refer to Mao Zedong as a 'Chinese dictator', and Chinese brands ended deals with him.⁠[2, 27] IJR reported a related Weibo hashtag reached 430 million views.⁠[21]

'My comment was ill-judged and I now understand that it hurt many people,' Mbappé said, according to Al Jazeera.⁠[27] Fox News reported that Real Madrid matches were banned on CCTV after the comment; no other outlet in this list mentioned that ban.⁠[18]

Covered by The Guardian, NBC News, The Wall Street Journal and 21 more

Background Watch: The Mbappé-Chairman Mao controversy explained · BBC News

Where accounts differ (1)
  • Earlier and later reportsThe Guardian and The Athletic reported two Chinese brands terminated partnerships with Mbappé, while Sky News, IJR and the New York Post reported at least three companies ended deals.⁠[2, 35]

How balanced is this coverage?

Of the 18 rated outlets that covered it, 2 are left of center, 10 are center and 6 are right of center (4 of them in the Right group). 6 more are not rated.

Where the outlets sit
The Guardian · Leans left · −0.70The Daily Beast · Leans left · −0.64NBC News · Center · −0.49PBS NewsHour · Center · −0.48TIME · Center · −0.40Fortune · Center · −0.25ABC News · Center · −0.19Business Insider · Center · −0.09Voice of America · Center · −0.08Bloomberg · Center · +0.08Forbes · Center · +0.19CNBC · Center · +0.40The Wall Street Journal · Leans right · +0.63New York Post · Leans right · +0.64The Washington Times · Right · +1.27Washington Examiner · Right · +1.34Fox News · Right · +1.52IJR · Right · +1.52
  • Left: none.
  • Leans left: The Guardian (−0.70), The Daily Beast (−0.64).
  • Center: NBC News (−0.49), PBS NewsHour (−0.48), TIME (−0.40), Fortune (−0.25), ABC News (−0.19), Business Insider (−0.09), Voice of America (−0.08), Bloomberg (+0.08), Forbes (+0.19), CNBC (+0.40).
  • Leans right: The Wall Street Journal (+0.63), New York Post (+0.64).
  • Right: The Washington Times (+1.27), Washington Examiner (+1.34), Fox News (+1.52), IJR (+1.52).

Not rated Al Jazeera, The Athletic, BBC News, ESPN, Financial Times, Sky News. Not placed: they have no lean score.

Each dot is an outlet that covered it, placed by its audience-lean score (Eady et al. 2025), which measures who shares its links, not how accurate it is. The ticks under the line are all 113 rated outlets Tare reads.

Read across the spectrum

Detailed briefing

A longer write-up made from the full articles: what happened, the background, how coverage differs and what's still unclear, with every paragraph sourced.

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Sources

Left

  1. 1 The Daily Beast · Leans left · Oct 27, 11:38 a.m. ETSoccer Star Apologizes as Superpower Throws Tantrum Over Meme
  2. 2 The Guardian · Leans left · Oct 27, 2:24 a.m. ETKylian Mbappé dropped by Chinese brands for ‘offending national sentiments’
  3. 3 The Guardian · Leans left · Oct 28, 6:00 a.m. ETKylian Mbappé’s China crisis shows how sensitive Mao’s legacy remains

Center

  1. 4 ABC News · Center · Oct 27, 4:05 a.m. ETChinese brands cut ties with French soccer star Mbappé over ‘Chinese dictator’ remark
  2. 5 ABC News · Center · Oct 28, 8:43 a.m. ETChina takes Mbappé apology 'seriously' after backlash over 'Chinese dictator' remark
  3. 6 Bloomberg · Center · Oct 27, 1:13 p.m. ETMbappé Apologizes for Perceived Mao Insult After China Backlash
  4. 7 Bloomberg · Center · Oct 27, 11:42 p.m. ETMbappé China Backlash Prompts China’s Warning for Global Celebrities
  5. 8 Business Insider · Center · Oct 27, 10:00 a.m. ETGlobal soccer star Kylian Mbappé is losing sponsors in China after he joked about Chairman Mao
  6. 9 CNBC · Center · Oct 27, 11:33 p.m. ETKylian Mbappé faces China backlash as sponsors cut ties over viral meme
  7. 10 Forbes · Center · Oct 27, 9:44 a.m. ETFrench Soccer Star Mbappé Apologizes For Mao Zedong Comment After Losing Chinese Sponsorships
  8. 11 Forbes · Center · Oct 28, 11:48 a.m. ETReal Madrid Apologizes For Mbappé ‘Dictator’ Comments—After Chinese Broadcasters Drop Games
  9. 12 Fortune · Center · Oct 27, 10:15 a.m. ET‘I think he was a Chinese dictator’: Kylian Mbappé backtracks on stray comment after he starts losing endorsements overseas
  10. 13 Fortune · Center · Oct 28, 5:00 p.m. ETSoccer superstar Kylian Mbappé is the latest global name to find himself on the wrong side of Chinese patriotism
  11. 14 NBC News · Center · Oct 27, 7:54 a.m. ETMemes, Mao and Mbappé: Chinese brands drop soccer star in fury over ‘dictator’ joke
  12. 15 PBS NewsHour · Center · Oct 27, 2:02 p.m. ETSoccer star Kylian Mbappé apologizes for comments about Mao Zedong
  13. 16 TIME · Center · Oct 28, 5:25 a.m. ETMbappé Apologizes After ‘Dictator’ Mao Comment: What to Know About the Chinese Backlash
  14. 17 Voice of America · Center · Oct 28, 5:37 p.m. ETMbappé, Real Madrid forced to apologize over 'dictator' comment about China's Mao Zedong

Right

  1. 18 Fox News · Right · Oct 27, 10:58 a.m. ETKylian Mbappe predictably bends the knee after losing Chinese sponsors for laughing at meme of dictator Mao
  2. 19 Fox News · Right · Oct 27, 10:03 p.m. ETKylian Mbappé's embarrassing, groveling apology to China comes down to money: Dan Dakich
  3. 20 Fox News · Right · Oct 28, 7:57 a.m. ETReal Madrid issues apology to China over Mbappe controversy after state-run TV demands it
  4. 21 IJR · Right · Oct 27, 5:50 a.m. ETMbappé Apologizes as China Sponsors End Deals
  5. 22 New York Post · Leans right · Oct 27, 10:39 a.m. ETSoccer star Kylian Mbappé apologizes for calling Communist dictator Mao a ‘dictator’
  6. 23 The Wall Street Journal · Leans right · Oct 27, 3:48 p.m. ETGlobal Soccer Star Kylian Mbappé Just Apologized to China—for a Mao Zedong Meme
  7. 24 The Washington Times · Right · Oct 27, 12:36 p.m. ETMbappe apologizes for calling Mao a dictator after losing Chinese sponsorships
  8. 25 The Washington Times · Right · Oct 28, 6:29 a.m. ETChina takes Mbappe's apology 'seriously' after backlash over his 'Chinese dictator' comments
  9. 26 Washington Examiner · Right · Oct 28, 1:17 p.m. ETKylian Mbappe shouldn’t apologize for calling Mao a dictator

Not rated

  1. 27 Al Jazeera · Not rated · Oct 27, 8:47 a.m. ETKylian Mbappe apologises after ‘dictator’ comment angers Chinese fans
  2. 28 Al Jazeera · Not rated · Oct 28, 12:28 a.m. ETMbappe faces backlash in China for meme fiasco
  3. 29 Al Jazeera · Not rated · Oct 28, 4:57 a.m. ETChina says it takes Mbappe’s apology ‘seriously’ after Mao dictator comment
  4. 30 Al Jazeera · Not rated · Oct 28, 8:56 a.m. ETReal Madrid apologise to Chinese people for Mbappe’s Mao ‘dictator’ remark
  5. 31 Al Jazeera · Not rated · Oct 28, 11:36 a.m. ETWhat is the controversy between Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and China?
  6. 32 BBC News · Not rated · Oct 27, 1:11 p.m. ETWatch: The Mbappé-Chairman Mao controversy explained
  7. 33 ESPN · Not rated · Oct 27, 7:07 a.m. ETChinese brands drop Mbappé after comment about 'Chinese dictator' meme
  8. 34 Financial Times · Not rated · Oct 27, 5:37 a.m. ETChinese brands put boot into Mbappé after viral ‘dictator’ meme
  9. 35 Sky News · Not rated · Oct 27, 4:51 a.m. ETFrench football star Mbappe dropped by Chinese brands after 'dictator' remark
  10. 36 The Athletic · Not rated · Oct 27, 6:14 a.m. ETTwo Chinese brands terminate partnership with Kylian Mbappe after 'dictator' comments
  11. 37 The Athletic · Not rated · Oct 28, 1:10 a.m. ETWhy Kylian Mbappe angered China - and the possible consequences for him, Madrid and La Liga
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