Real Madrid has activated its loudspeaker in China. The club issued a message on the social network Weibo with apologies attributed to its defender Dean Huijsen after the controversy generated by the republication, on the player’s Instagram account, of content that included comments considered offensive towards Asian citizens.
“I sincerely apologize to my Chinese friends. I previously unintentionally forwarded content that included offensive messages. It was totally unintentional and I regret the discomfort caused,” said the text distributed in Chinese in recent hours by the Madrid club on that platform.
The controversy erupted this weekend. Huijsen, a 20-year-old Dutch-Spanish player, republished an image that Chinese users have described as racist because it alludes to the shape of Asian people’s eyes. The screenshot, now deleted from his account, showed a person of Asian origin next to two comments from Internet users: “even the Chinese call him Chinese” and “you can blindfold him with dental floss”.
The note from Real Madrid appeared on its official profile on Weibo, a network used mainly in China. The publication has generated critical reactions among Chinese fans, who question the scope of the apology and demand a public statement on international platforms or a video, beyond a written statement.
It is not the first time that the club has been involved in such an episode. In 2024 there was already a controversy over a video in which a Real Madrid fan sang a song considered vulgar before the Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid, described as “insulting to China, vulgar and of bad nature” by the Chinese Embassy in Spain.
Then, according to a statement from the diplomatic mission, the club expressed its rejection of the fan’s “inappropriate behavior”, condemned “any form of racism and xenophobia” and described what happened as an “isolated incident of an individual fan” that did not represent the values of the club, in addition to reiterating its “appreciation and respect” towards Chinese fans.
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