Mbappé apologizes as Chinese brands cut ties over Mao meme

Kylian Mbappé apologised on Tuesday, October 27, for what he called an "ill-judged" comment. Earlier that day, several Chinese companies ended their deals with him after a video showed him laughing about a meme that appeared to put his face on Mao Zedong. "I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world. I apologise to everyone my words have upset," the Real Madrid forward said, according to Reuters reporting carried by The Daily Star.thedailystar.net

In the clip, Mbappé says the funniest meme he had seen of himself showed his face on "some guy — I think he's a Chinese dictator." Reuters said it could not verify the video. The BBC reported that the remarks came from the French talk show The Bridge and that the original video is no longer on the show's YouTube channel.reuters.com+1

Sponsors and broadcasters pull back

Drinks maker Dongpeng Eastroc Beverage (Group) Co., Ltd. (its listed company is Eastroc Beverage), dairy giant Mengniu China Mengniu Dairy Company Limited and cheesemaker Milkground Shanghai Milkground Food Tech Co., Ltd. all said they were ending cooperation with immediate effect. Each said it opposed any words or actions that "hurt national sentiment," the AP reported. "Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments," Dongpeng said, according to AFP.afp.com+1

The state outlet The Paper reported that state broadcaster CCTV had stopped showing all LaLiga matches and events involving Mbappé and had removed his ads, Reuters said. RedNote said its content deal with the player had ended on December 31, 2024, and that it would take down related promotional material, per the AP. His account on the platform now says he cannot post "for violating community rules," RFI reported.apnews.com+2

Beijing weighs in, LaLiga apologises

Asked about the episode, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry said words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people "will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society," Reuters reported. The football forum Dongqiudi first drew attention to the clip on Monday night, calling the comments "inappropriate," according to the BBC. As of 0700 GMT, four topics about Mbappé were among Weibo's top 10 trending searches.bbc.com+1

LaLiga said it "deeply regrets the offence" and that the comments "were made in a personal capacity." Its president, Javier Tebas, wrote that "a relationship built over so many years cannot be damaged by a single episode," Reuters reported. Mbappé also has deals with On Holding ↘ 3.01%, Accor and Lego, and none of them commented right away.thedailystar.net

Fans often call Mbappé "the dictator" because of his influence at his clubs. In September he said the memes showed "a lack of political and human awareness" and added that "we know the damage people like that have caused throughout history," the BBC noted.bbc.com