China said Wednesday it took "seriously" an apology from football star Kylian Mbappe over comments making fun of former leader Mao Zedong. "We take seriously the apology the individual concerned has made," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular briefing. Mbappe apologized on Tuesday after the Real Madrid star was dropped by major Chinese brands for apparently joking about Mao in a video that has gone viral. There were also signs of broader repercussions, with state-run The Paper reporting that public television was suspending broadcasts of matches from Spain's La Liga. The offending video shows Mbappe saying that the funniest internet meme he had seen involving him was of his face photo-shopped onto that of "some guy -- I think he's a Chinese dictator.” This was an apparent reference to a meme of Mbappe superimposed on an image of Mao. The authenticity of the video could not immediately be verified by AFP Fact Check.
