India, Oct. 27 -- France forward Kylian Mbappe apologised on Tuesday after facing backlash over a viral video in which he appeared to joke about Mao Zedong. Several major Chinese brands have reportedly dropped the footballer following the controversy.

The row escalated after state-owned China Media Group (CMG) announced that Chinese state television would suspend broadcasts of La Liga matches. The Spanish league has also issued an apology over Mbappe's remarks, as the incident sparked a major fallout in China.

"My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world," Mbappe said in a statement Tuesday.

"I apologise to everyone my words have upset," he said. "This wa...