Mbappe dropped by Chinese brands Dongpeng and Mengniu over Mao 'dictator' joke

Kylian Mbappe has lost two Chinese sponsors in a single day. Drinks company Dongpeng Beverage and Mengniu, China's largest dairy producer, both said on Tuesday 27 October that they were ending all cooperation with the France captain "with immediate effect", after a video in which he appeared to joke about Mao Zedong spread on Chinese social media, Al Jazeera reported.

The BBC said the backlash was still growing on Tuesday, and AFP, in a report carried by Business Recorder, noted that its fact-check team could not immediately confirm the video was genuine.

What Mbappe said

In the clip, the 27-year-old Real Madrid forward is asked about the funniest internet meme he has seen. He says it is one with his face edited onto "some guy", adding that he thinks the man is "a Chinese dictator". The meme in question appears to put his face on a picture of Mao, the founder of the People's Republic, who died in 1976.

Jokes about Mao are treated as deeply disrespectful in China. Dongqiudi, one of the country's biggest football sites, called the remarks offensive to China and Chinese people on Monday evening, and the hashtag on Dongpeng's decision became the top trending topic on Weibo.

What the brands said

• Dongpeng, which makes the Bushuila electrolyte drink, said it "firmly opposes" and has "zero tolerance" for behaviour that offends national sentiment. Its AI-generated adverts of Mbappe drinking its product ran widely in China during this year's World Cup.
• Mengniu issued a similar statement, saying it would not accept words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.

Neither Mbappe nor Real Madrid had responded publicly by Tuesday afternoon Pakistan time, according to the reports.

Bad timing for Mbappe

The row broke a day after Mbappe finished behind Harry Kane in the Ballon d'Or vote. He has a big following in China, where fans call him "Guigui" (turtle) after a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles meme, and Chinese brands have used him heavily.

In September he had told L'Equipe that some of the "dictator" memes about him were funny, but that comparisons with people who caused real suffering were not.

Why Chinese sponsors act this fast

China has punished sports stars and leagues before over political remarks. The NBA lost sponsors and had its games pulled from Chinese television for about a year after a Houston Rockets executive backed the 2019 Hong Kong protests, and Dwight Howard drew anger in 2023 for calling Taiwan a country. For global brands with a big Chinese market, a quick public break is the usual response.

On the pitch, Mbappe has been in form for Madrid, scoring twice in the recent Clasico win over Barcelona. Whether the row spreads to his other commercial deals is the next thing to watch.

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