Mbappé, Real Madrid forced to apologize over 'dictator' comment about China's Mao Zedong
Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Mandarin article. France and Real Madrid soccer star Kylian Mbappé is facing a backlash in China after commercial sponsors cut ties with him over comments he made about China's founding leader Mao Zedong. Mbappé has since issued a public apology for his comments as Chinese brands dropped Mbappe and a broadcaster suspended broadcasting Spain's La Liga matches. In an apology issued on Tuesday in both Chinese and French, Mbappé said that his comment during a recent interview was “ill-judged”, adding that he now understands that it hurt "many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world." A U.S. congressional committee on China said Mbappé should not have apologized for calling Mao Zedong a "dictator." The U.S. House Select Committee on China posted a statement on X, saying that Mao Zedong "was indeed a dictator…