La Liga President, Javier Tebas Medrano, has apologised to the people of China, for a comment made by France and Real Madrid of Spain star, Kylian Mbappé, about their late founding leader, Mao Zedong.

Mr Medrano, in a statement on Tuesday, said La Liga, understood the harm Mbappé’s remark caused them, and vowed not to allow individual actions damage their relationship with China, the 20 La Liga clubs and millions of Chinese fans.

Mr Medrano said, “LaLiga deeply regrets the dissatisfaction and offense caused in China by the remarks made by Kylian Mbappé. We understand the harm caused by these remarks. On behalf of LaLiga, I extend our sincere apologies to the Chinese people.

“Over the years, we have built a relationship of mutual respect, trust, and cooperation with China and its government departments, sports organizations, audiovisual media institutions, and millions of fans who love Spanish football.

“We cannot allow individual actions to damage this relationship, nor can we let more than 20 clubs in our professional competitions and millions of Chinese fans be adversely affected as a result.”

Assuring that measure and engaging were ongoing with partners and relevant parties in China to resolve the situation, Mr Medrano restated La Liga’s unwavering commitment to China, its people, and relevant Chinese institutions.

He added that the relationship built over many years couldn’t be undermined by an isolated incident.

La Liga also expressed regret about the offensive statement by Mbappé, insisting that his comments were made in a personal capacity and do not represent La Liga. 

La Liga said, “To the extent of our institutional responsibility, we apologise on behalf of LALIGA and all its clubs.”

It noted that Spanish football respects China, its institutions, people, and deeply value the support of the millions of fans following La Liga weekly.

La Liga stated, “We are working with our partners and institutional interlocutors in China to address this situation. Likewise, in collaboration with the clubs and players, we will implement a protocol for awareness and communication that promotes respect for different cultures and helps prevent similar situations.”