Mbappé apologises over Mao Zedong joke as Chinese brands drop sponsorship deals

Kylian Mbappé apologised on Tuesday after a video circulated online in which he apparently joked about former leader Mao Zedong, leading to the French football star being dropped from sponsorship deals by major brands in China.

“My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” Mbappé said in a statement Tuesday. 

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“I apologise to everyone my words have upset," he said. "This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry." 

Mbappé's face appears in ads across China, from subway stations to inside elevators. He has featured in advertising campaigns in the country for products from electrolyte drinks to milk and cheese.

Drinks giant Dongpeng said on Tuesday it was "terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappé" with "immediate effect" as it "firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments".

Mengniu, China's largest dairy producer, also cut ties with the Real Madrid and France forward, as did cheese maker Milkground.

"With immediate effect our company is terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappé," Mengniu said in a statement.

"Mengniu firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people," it added.

China Media Group also said that it has suspended broadcasts of matches in the Spanish league, La Liga, and other games featuring the French football star and removed advertisements featuring him. The media conglomerate demanded an apology from Mbappé and his club, Real Madrid.

The Spanish league was quick to try to protect its television business in China. It said in a statement that it “deeply regrets the offence caused to Chinese fans by Kylian Mbappé’s recent comments. These remarks were made in a personal capacity and do not represent La Liga.”

The league said it would create a “communication protocol” for its players and clubs while working with stakeholders in China to prevent any future incidents.

The announcements came after a video emerged online with Mbappé saying that the funniest internet meme he had seen was of his face photoshopped onto that of "some guy – I think he's a Chinese dictator".

This was an apparent reference to a meme of Mbappé superimposed on an image of Mao, one of several using the footballer's face and other historical figures.

Football fans online jokingly call the star – who's said to overshadow many of his teammates and even the teams he plays on – a dictator, and memes showing him as Mao or other autocratic leaders are widely circulated.

Mao Zedong was a revolutionary who led the Communist Party during its crucial early days, winning a civil war against the ruling Nationalist Party in China, and then founding the modern day People’s Republic of China.

Mao is revered by many even today. However, he leaves behind a complex legacy of authoritarian rule, having led campaigns like the Great Leap Forward, an industrialisation project which led to a famine that killed an estimated 30 million people.

"Dongpeng Beverage ends cooperation with Mbappé" was the top-trending topic on Chinese social media site Weibo.

 “Football fans boycott Mbappé” was also trending, with some users expressing anger at his remarks or telling him not to come to China.

The 27-year-old Mbappé lost out to Harry Kane for the Ballon d'Or on Monday.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)