Kylian Mbappé lost two major Chinese sponsorship deals on Tuesday after a video circulated online showing the French football star joking about Mao Zedong.
Dongpeng, a leading Chinese energy drink manufacturer, and Mengniu, the country’s largest dairy producer, both announced the immediate termination of their partnerships with Mbappé. Dongpeng stated it had a “zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments.” Mengniu echoed this stance, declaring it opposed “any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.”
The controversy stemmed from a video in which Mbappé described the funniest internet meme he had seen as his face photoshopped onto “some guy—I think he’s a Chinese dictator,” an apparent reference to Mao. The authenticity of the video could not be immediately verified by AFP Fact Check.
The announcements triggered a strong reaction on Chinese social media, with “Dongpeng Beverage ends cooperation with Mbappé” becoming the top-trending topic on Weibo. Mbappé, a forward for Real Madrid and the French national team, had finished runner-up to Harry Kane in the Ballon d’Or vote on Monday.
