Kylian Mbappé has been dropped by two major Chinese brands following a video that did the rounds online which shows the footballer apparently joking about the former chairman of the Chinese Communist Party Mao Zedong.
The brands severed ties with the French star following a clip that was shared by the French soccer podcast The Bridge where Mbappé described what he thought was the funniest internet meme he had seen of himself. He replied with one where his face is photoshopped onto “some guy… I think he’s a Chinese dictator”.
The Real Madrid striker didn’t explicitly mention Mao by name, but the video did cut to a clip Mbappé’s face being morphed onto an image of the former chairman of the Chinese Communist Party.
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Drinks giant Dongpeng severed all ties with the footballer due to a “zero-tolerance policy”.
“Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments,” Dongpeng said in a statement, adding that “with immediate effect we are terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe”.
During the recent World Cup where France finished fourth, Dongpeng used AI-generated images of the 27-year-old drinking a sports drink as advertising in China.
Mengniu, a Chinese dairy producer, also cut ties with the Real Madrid striker.
“With immediate effect our company is terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe,” 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.”
Following the brands terminating his contract, Mbappé has issued an apology.
“During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself,” he said.
“My comment was ill-judged, and 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.
“This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history. I am sincerely sorry.”
