Kylian Mbappé has lost three major endorsement deals in China after a video allegedly showed him making a joke about Mao Zedong.
A short clip that surfaced on Monday shows the Real Madrid forward reacting to edited pictures of himself that have been circulating online.
In the clip, he is heard saying the funniest meme he saw was one where his face was photoshopped onto “some guy – I think he’s a Chinese dictator,” a comment many on Chinese social media have interpreted as a reference to Mao Zedong.
That reading changed everything. Mao is still regarded as the man who founded modern China, and comments that appear to make fun of him are treated as a serious insult.
Even though the origin of the video remains unclear and international agencies have said they cannot verify it, the outrage grew quickly on Weibo.
The commercial reaction came less than a day later. By Tuesday, three companies that have been working with Mbappé in the Chinese market said they were ending their partnerships. Dongpeng Beverage, Mengniu Dairy and Milkground Food Tech all announced they were cutting ties, saying they do not support any conduct that hurts national sentiment.
The fallout appears to go beyond sponsorships. Reports from China suggest that state broadcaster CCTV has stopped showing LaLiga games involving Mbappé.
China’s foreign ministry has also weighed in, saying that any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will be met with opposition. As of now, Mbappé’s camp has not made any official comment on the clip.
Leave a comment