“Mesut Özil has got to go!” You might have heard Arsenal fans lamenting the midfielder’s uninspiring performances and enormous salary, and wishing he be moved on. There’s little room for sentiment in sport. But have you ever heard of a transfer being demanded “to win back fans” from a nation? Yet that’s exactly what happened over the weekend.

Özil is the latest in a long, long line of people and organisations to have angered China. Just this year, the NBA and the Houston Rockets, South Park, Marvel Comics, Delta Airlines, Notepad++ and Marriot Hotels have hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.