Kylian Mbappe loses Chinese sponsors for calling Mao ‘Chinese dictator’

What the report says

Kylian Mbappe has lost sponsorships from two major Chinese brands after a video circulated online in which he appeared to refer to Mao Zedong as a “Chinese dictator,” according to Al Jazeera’s report citing AFP. The brands, Dongpeng Beverage and dairy company Mengniu, both said they were ending cooperation with the France captain with immediate effect. Their statements emphasized what they described as zero tolerance for conduct that offends Chinese national sentiment.

The controversy stems from a clip in which Mbappe seemed to say that the funniest meme he had seen showed his face placed on that of a Chinese dictator, a remark widely understood online as a reference to Mao. The report notes that jokes about Mao remain a social taboo in China, where criticism of the founding leader is highly sensitive. Chinese social media users and football outlets criticized Mbappe’s comments, and the issue quickly trended online.

Al Jazeera also reported that Mbappe had previously discussed similar memes in an interview with French sports newspaper L’Equipe, saying some were meant in good fun but others were less amusing because of the historical suffering tied to the figures involved. The article places the episode in a broader pattern of foreign athletes and celebrities facing backlash in China over comments touching on politically sensitive subjects.

The development matters because Mbappe has been one of the most visible international sports figures in the Chinese market, with branded products and a large online following there. The sponsor exits show how quickly reputational and commercial ties can unravel when public remarks are seen as insulting to Chinese political sensibilities.