General view inside the stadium before the LaLiga EA Sports 2026/27 match between Real Madrid and Malaga CF at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain on August 30, 2026. Photo: VCG

Recently, Spanish football club Real Madrid published a post on its official overseas social media account featuring a photo of the team observing a moment of silence for the landslide disaster in Nepal, alongside the caption: "Moment of silence… in memory of the victims of the devastating flood that affected the border between Nepal and Tibet." The post placed "Tibet" and "Nepal" on an equal footing as two parallel entities, whereas several other La Liga clubs used "Nepal and China" in similar memorial copy. After many Chinese netizens expressed their dissatisfaction, Real Madrid chose neither to delete the post nor to offer an explanation.

Observing a moment of silence for victims of natural disasters is inherently a benevolent gesture transcending borders and manifesting humanistic care - a wonderful expression of warmth transmitted on the athletic field. The minute of silence before the match at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium was originally intended to honor the deceased and pay tribute to life, and this humanitarian stance deserved respect. However, Real Madrid's erroneous phrasing dissolved all goodwill, distorting a memorial into an inappropriate maneuver that touches upon China's sovereignty red lines.

Xizang is an integral part of the Chinese territory. This is a universally recognized fact in the international community, a conclusion deeply rooted in history, jurisprudence, and culture, leaving no room for ambiguity. Placing China's Xizang on par with the sovereign state of Nepal and deliberately stripping away Xizang's attribute as part of China is, in essence, pandering to separatist narratives in disguise.

Furthermore, the English translation of "Xizang" was officially changed from "Tibet" long ago. Following the principle of "respecting the naming conventions of the host country" and standardizing the use of official geographic names and their foreign-language translations prescribed by the government of the country concerned is an international norm. This post triggered self-celebration among various social media accounts that support "Xizang independence," demonstrating that its misinformation has already produced actual negative impacts.

Real Madrid is a football club with global influence, boasting a massive fan base in China and long committed to cultivating the Asian market. For this reason, every word and action of Real Madrid should be handled with the utmost caution. In fact, this is not the first time the Spanish football club has stepped over the red line on China-related issues. Its player Dean Huijsen previously made blatant anti-China remarks on social media, and Real Madrid's subsequent perfunctory apology left Chinese fans deeply dissatisfied. When such "accidents" happen repeatedly, they can no longer be brushed off as mere "oversights."

Regardless of whether it was a mere slip-up, Real Madrid should delete the erroneous post and issue an apology to the Chinese public. Given that other La Liga clubs used "China" in similar tributes, it is clear that accurately describing this disaster is hardly a difficult task for Real Madrid; the crux of the matter lies in whether there is the willingness to show respect. If Real Madrid genuinely respects the disaster victims, its Chinese fans, and the universally recognized one-China principle upheld by the international community, it should publicly rectify its wording and use the correct formulation: China's Xizang.