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Kylian Mbappé apologized for a joke that resurfaced online in which he called the former Chinese leader Mao Zedong a “dictator,” causing several Chinese brands to cut ties with the Real Madrid star.
Chinese beverage company Dongpeng, dairy company Mengniu, and cheese company Milkground all terminated sponsorship agreements with Mbappé on Tuesday. Dongpeng said it had a zero-tolerance policy for behavior that “offends national sentiments,” while Mengniu said it “firmly opposes any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.”
In the clip, Mbappé was asked on the French show “The Bridge” to name his favorite meme of himself. “A video someone made of a guy … I think he was a Chinese dictator,” Mbappé replied, referring to a meme in which his face is superimposed on Mao’s.
Mbappé apologized in a short statement Tuesday. “My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” Mbappé wrote.
A meme comparing Mbappé to various authoritarian leaders was widely circulated during this summer’s World Cup.
China’s state television networks have suspended all LaLiga broadcasts and removed all ads featuring Mbappé.
In an X post, LaLiga President Javier Tebas condemned Mbappé’s comments, apologized to the Chinese people, and reaffirmed the league’s relationship with China and its “authorities.”
“We are taking the measures within our reach and working directly with our partners and interlocutors in China to overcome this situation,” Tebas wrote. “Our commitment to China, its people, and its institutions is steadfast. A relationship built over so many years cannot be damaged by a single episode.”
Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Tuesday that “words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.”
Mbappé’s apology is the latest political flashpoint that has strained financial ties between major American and European sports leagues and China.
In 2019, then-Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweeted an image that read, “Fight For Freedom / Stand With Hong Kong,” which sparked outrage in China. Chinese companies pulled sponsorships, state television networks stopped carrying NBA broadcasts, and commissioner Adam Silver distanced himself from the tweet.
The league steadily rebuilt its relationship with China, with state television resuming a regular broadcasting schedule in 2022. Silver said the temporary blackout cost the league hundreds of millions of dollars.
In late 2021, women’s tennis player Peng Shuai accused a Chinese Communist Party official of sexual assault on social media, before quickly deleting the post. After Peng disappeared for several days and worldwide concern rose over her safety, the WTA suspended all tournaments in China, including pulling out of a 10-year deal to host the WTA Finals in Shenzhen.
The WTA returned to China in 2023. Peng has largely vanished from public life after a series of brief appearances and a controlled call with the International Olympic Committee shortly after the incident.
Last year, Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion apologized to China after posting a photo of Japanese player Karou Mitoma and a youth player posing with a card featuring a former Japanese Imperial Army soldier.
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