Mbappé apologises after Chinese brands end partnerships over Mao comment

Kylian Mbappé has apologised after Chinese companies ended commercial relationships with him over a video in which he appeared to joke about Mao Zedong, The Guardian and Sky News report. The video showed the Real Madrid forward describing an internet meme that placed his face on that of what he called “some guy – I think he’s a Chinese dictator”. The remarks appeared to refer to a meme depicting him as Mao.

Mbappé said the comment was “ill-judged” and that he understood it had hurt people in China and Chinese communities around the world. His apology was issued in French, Chinese and English. The beverage company Dongpeng said it was terminating all cooperation with Mbappé.

The Guardian also reported that Mengniu, China’s largest dairy producer, and cheese maker Milkground had cut ties with him. Dongpeng said it opposed behaviour that offended national sentiments and maintained a zero-tolerance policy. The company had used AI-generated images of Mbappé in advertising during this year’s World Cup.

The controversy appeared to spread beyond sponsorship. The Guardian reported that The Paper, a state-run Chinese digital newspaper, said public television was suspending La Liga broadcasts and removing advertisements involving Mbappé. There was a significant qualification to that report: La Liga matches for the coming weekend remained on the online viewing schedule listed on the CCTV website.

The supplied material therefore does not establish whether all broadcasts were suspended across every platform. La Liga also apologised, saying Mbappé’s comments were made in a personal capacity and did not represent the competition. China’s foreign ministry said remarks that hurt the feelings of Chinese people would naturally face rejection from Chinese society.

The incident was particularly sensitive because jokes about Mao, the country’s founding leader, remain taboo in China. Mao died in 1976, and historians have blamed his policies for mass starvation and millions of deaths. The Guardian reported that the controversy was the top-trending subject on Weibo, with 430 million views, while Chinese football outlet Dongqiudi called the comments offensive to China and the Chinese people.

One Beijing fan quoted by the newspaper said he had lost his admiration for Mbappé after the incident. Mbappé had discussed an earlier meme portraying him as a military dictator in an interview with L’Equipe. He said then that part of it was funny but that another part was less so because of the damage such figures had caused throughout history.

The episode follows earlier disputes involving international sports figures and politically sensitive subjects in China, including Dwight Howard’s reference to Taiwan and a 2019 post by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey supporting Hong Kong protests. The Guardian reported that both incidents led to backlash affecting sponsorship or television coverage.