Real Madrid have apologized to their Chinese fans after Dean Huijsen shared racist memes on social media over the weekend. Huijsen himself has not yet personally addressed the issue.
The 20-year-old reposted an image of a Chinese man with the caption “Even the Chinese call him Chinese” and “You could blindfold him with dental floss.” Huijsen’s activity sparked outrage among the Chinese and Asian community online.
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Real Madrid apologizes to Chinese fans
Image via Lars Baron/Getty Images
On Monday, Real Madrid posted the following apology from Huijsen on their Weibo account. AS JournalChina’s largest social media platform.
“I sincerely apologize to my Chinese friends. I have previously unintentionally forwarded content containing offensive messages. This was completely unintentional and I regret any distress caused.”
Los Blancos again issued the same apologies on their other social media channels, and Huijsen also did not refer to the issue on his personal social media accounts. This is the second time Real Madrid’s image has been affected in China in the past two years, after a fan impersonated Chinese fans in 2024. contacted by the Chinese embassy regarding the incident and apologized on this occasion too.
The incident comes just days after the anti-racist protocol
The timing could hardly be worse, as Real Madrid attempt to take a stand against racism on the international stage, after activating the anti-racism protocol during their clash with Benfica over allegations of racist abuse towards Vinicius Junior. Monday, UEFA provisionally suspended accused Gianluca Prestianni – who defended his innocence – for the second leg of the Champions League against Real Madrid. If Prestianni is found guilty, he will face a minimum 10-match ban. It is not yet clear when the UEFA investigation will be concluded.
