Kylian Mbappe’s China crisis deepens: Apology, muted accounts and brands pulling away

French football star Kylian Mbappé apologized for offending Chinese fans with comments perceived as insulting to Mao Zedong, following a backlash that prompted a growing boycott. The Frenchman said remarks he made in an interview — where he was asked to react to an internet meme of himself that appeared to depict Mao, modern China’s founding father — were “ill-judged.” “I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” Mbappé said in an emailed statement. “I apologize to everyone my words have upset. This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep…