BKylian Mbappe just learned that in China, a joke about Mao is not a joke.
BWhat did he say now?
BReuters reports he's in a full-blown storm. A meme nicknamed him after Mobutu, and Mbappe, trying to laugh it off, referred to Mao as a Chinese dictator.
BOh, that's... yeah, that's not going to fly.
BIt did not. Two big Chinese brands, Mengniu and Dongpeng, have already cut ties. La Liga apologized to Chinese fans. Beijing's foreign ministry responded.
BAnd this is the part where I actually see both sides, Brian.
BYou? Defending Beijing?
BI'm not defending the response, I'm explaining it. You call Mao a dictator in China, that's like calling Washington a slave owner in a Fourth of July speech. It's not about accuracy, it's about the sacred cow.
BBut Mao WAS a dictator! Millions died in the Great Leap Forward. Saying the truth out loud shouldn't get you canceled by sponsors.
BAnd in a free country, it wouldn't. But China's not a free country, and Mbappe's contract with those brands is in their country, under their rules.
BSo he should lie? He should pretend Mao was a great leader because Mengniu sells milk?
BNo, he should have kept his mouth shut. He's a footballer, not a historian. His job is to sell jerseys, not to make historical judgments about the founder of the People's Republic.
BThat's exactly the problem! We've decided athletes can't have opinions unless they're pre-approved by the market. It's cowardly.
BIt's business. You want to be a global brand? You don't insult the biggest consumer market on the planet for a meme.
BBut he didn't insult China, he insulted Mao. There's a difference.
BNot to Beijing. To them, Mao IS China. That's the whole point. And honestly, Mbappe should have known that. He's got a massive Chinese fanbase.
BThis is the world we live in: a footballer makes an accurate historical statement, and he loses his sponsorships, while actual dictators keep doing business with everyone.
BNow you're being naive. China doesn't care about Mao's body count, they care about stability and face. You don't get to lecture them from Paris.
BAnd you're being cynical. Someone has to say the emperor has no clothes.
BSomeone did. And now he's paying for it.
BFair point. But still— this whole thing is absurd.
BIt's also completely predictable. Welcome to global sports diplomacy.
BAlright, different corner of Asia: a fire tore through a shantytown in Seoul today. More than a hundred people evacuated from Guryong Village in Gangnam.
BThat's the irony— Gangnam, one of the richest districts on earth, still has a shantytown.
BAl Jazeera English reported the fire, though no injuries so far. The homes are tightly packed and highly flammable.
BThat place has been slated for redevelopment for years, but people still live there. This could have been much worse.
BFire crews have been fighting it for hours. We'll keep an eye on it.
BAnd that's the world at one o'clock.