Some global sports icons have courted controversies which drew global outrage. It took some time for the issues to be laid to rest. The crises made them to tread carefully and watch their actions and utterances based on their public image.

This week, Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé came under fire from Chinese fans and companies earlier after a video emerged showing him joking about a meme he finds particularly amusing, featuring his face superimposed on the image of a “Chinese dictator” resembling former Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

The video quickly went viral across social media in China, prompting Chinese companies, including Dongpeng Beverage Group, China Mengniu Dairy and Miaokelanduo to cut the French international star off as their brand ambassador one after the other. 

Additionally, China Media Group, the parent group of state broadcaster CCTV, paused the broadcasts of La Liga matches, with a foreign ministry spokesperson saying, “Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.”

The 27-year-old subsequently tendered an apology to the people of China over the anger his joke drew, stating “During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself. My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world. 

He added, “I apologise to everyone my words have upset. That was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry.” 

Both La Liga, its President Javier Tebas and Real Madrid also offered apologies to the Chinese communities around the world.

Meanwhile, Mbappe is not the only international sports star who have been embroiled in controversies. Here are some of other instances where sports stars’ actions triggered anger globally.

Novak Djokovic’s COVID-19 incident, Kosovo

The 24-time tennis’ major winner was at the centre of the COVID-19 vaccine controversy in 2022 after Australian authorities cancelled his visa to compete in the 2022 Australian Open over vaccination status. 

Djokovic was initially granted a medical exemption to compete in the tournament despite being unvaccinated, citing antibodies he developed after recovering from COVID-19. However, he was detained by immigration officials upon arrival in Melbourne, sparking international debates.

His visa was subsequently cancelled, triggering a legal battle that ended with the Federal Court upholding the government’s decision and was eventually deported from Australia. 

One year later, the 39-year-old caused an international storm after writing  “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence” on a television camera lens following his first-round victory at the 2023 French Open.

He made the statement amid escalating tensions between ethnic Serbs and police forces in northern Kosovo over reported emergence of ethnic Albanian mayors in Serb-majority municipalities. 

The Kosovo’s Tennis Federation condemned Djokovic’s statement, accusing him of causing tension between Serbia and Kosovo. 

Taylor Townsend’s Chinese delicacy post 

Another tennis star, Taylor Townsend, was compelled to apologise to Chinese people after making remarks perceived as mocking Chinese cuisine, including dishes such as bullfrogs, turtles and sea cucumbers served at her hotel in Shenzhen, China, where she was staying for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

Dwight Howard’s Taiwan position 

The former National Basketball Association player caused a stir in China after he described Taiwan as a country in a promotional video appearance featuring former Taiwanese Vice President William Lai. 

The hashtag #HowardTaiwanIndependence reportedly attracted more than 400 million views on China’s Weibo platform amid widespread criticism before Howard tendered an apology, stating he had no intention of offending anyone. 

John Cena’s Taiwan controversy

In a similar incident, retired American WWE superstar John Cena tendered an apology to the Chinese people after referring to Taiwan on Taiwanese broadcaster TVBS during an interview to promote Fast & Furious film franchise, F9 in 2019.

His remarks triggered an angry reaction on Chinese social media, with users accusing him of supporting Taiwanese independence. He eventually apologised in Mandarin in a video posted on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

Mesut Ozil on Uyghur Muslims

China’s state broadcaster CCTV pulled Arsenal’s match against Manchester City from their schedule in 2019 after the then Arsenal player Ozil criticised China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region.

The former Real Madrid midfielder, who is a Muslim himself, described the Uyghurs as “warriors who resist persecution” amid allegations of state-sponsored crackdown on the group. 

Ex-Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang accused Ozil of being misled by fake news, prompting Arsenal to release a statement distancing the club from the former German international’s comments. 

Lionel Messi’s Hong Kong controversy 

In 2024, the football icon sparked controversy in Hong Kong after being an unused substitute in an exhibition match between his club, Inter Miami, and a Hong Kong select team despite 40,000 fans paying to watch him play.

This resulted in fans demanding refunds before being joined by the government which showed that he had provided financial support for the match under the promise that Messi would play at least 45 minutes of the match.