Mbappé loses brand deals in China over alleged Mao meme remarks
· Yahoo Sports
Two beverage companies in China are ending their partnerships with French football star Kylian Mbappé effective immediately.
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In their respective statements, both companies said they would not tolerate behaviour that offends the feelings of the Chinese people. However, the companies did not provide any further details on how Mbappé allegedly behaved inappropriately.
Chinese media outlets also didn't explain the companies' decision and merely referred to statements made by Mbappé in interviews.
Remarks allegedly made by the French player during a podcast interview have been circulating online.
In a video that emerged on Monday, Mbappé was asked about his favourite meme featuring himself. He then mentioned one where his face had been photoshopped on to that of "some guy - I think he's a Chinese dictator."
There are, for a fact, memes featuring Mbappé's face superimposed on an image of Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong. As one of the founders of the People's Republic, Mao is held in high esteem in China.
Content critical of China's political leaders is generally heavily censored in the country.
The Real Madrid forward had advertising deals with a sports drink manufacturer based in Shenzhen, southern China, and a company from Inner Mongolia that is well known in China for its dairy products. Among other things, his face appeared on the bottle labels.
A second dairy product manufacturer and the influential social media platform Xiaohongshu - the equivalent of Instagram in China - also announced they were ending their partnerships with Mbappé. Meanwhile, China’s state-run television stopped airing commercials featuring the player.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun emphasized that words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people would, of course, be met with united opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.
The Spanish La Liga, meanwhile, said it "deeply regrets the offence caused" by the comments and stressed that they "were made in a personal capacity and do not represent" the league.
"Spanish football upholds respect, coexistence, and unity among people of all cultures. We convey our respect to China, its institutions, and its people, and we deeply value the support of the millions of fans who follow us each week," it said in a statement.