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AFP Report
Mbappe loses Chinese sponsorships over apparent Mao Zedong joke
Published : Tuesday, 27 October, 2026 at 11:13 AM
Observer Online Report
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French football star Kylian Mbappé was dropped by two major Chinese corporate sponsors on Tuesday (October 27) following the circulation of an online video in which the Real Madrid forward apparently made a joke referencing China's founding leader, Mao Zedong.
Jokes concerning Mao Zedong, who died in 1976, remain a strict social taboo in China and are widely condemned as disrespectful to national sentiments.
Beverage titan Dongpeng announced the immediate termination of its sponsorship agreement with Mbappé, stating: "Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments."
Dairy giant Mengniu, China's largest dairy producer issued a concurrent statement severing ties with the forward. "With immediate effect, our company is terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappé. Mengniu firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people," the company stated.
The commercial fallout follows a video clip that surfaced online in which Mbappé commented on an internet meme featuring his face photoshopped onto an image of "some guy -- I think he's a Chinese dictator," in an apparent reference to popular memes superimposing his likeness onto Mao. The authenticity of the video clip could not immediately be verified by AFP Fact Check.
The corporate responses sparked widespread discussion on Chinese social media platform Weibo, where "Dongpeng Beverage ends cooperation with Mbappé" became the top trending topic. Users strongly criticized the footballer's comments, with many urging Dongpeng to remove Mbappé's image from its product packaging.
Dongqiudi, a prominent Chinese online football media platform, released a statement on Monday evening condemning the remarks as "offensive to China and the Chinese people," adding that they had "hurt the feelings of Chinese football fans."
Mbappé had previously addressed memes comparing him to historical figures during a September interview with French sports newspaper L'Équipe. While acknowledging that some users shared them in good fun, he noted: "There is another part that's a bit less funny because of the damage such people have caused throughout history. Being compared to individuals who murder others... I don't think I've ever done anything like that in my life."
The commercial backlash in China comes just one day after the 27-year-old forward finished behind England's Harry Kane at the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony in London.
-SA
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Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Online: email: [email protected] 41053014; 01550707297 Advertisement: 01550707296
