Chinese giants Dongpeng Beverages and Mengniu Dairy dropped French star Kylian Mbappe, a Real Madrid player, on Tuesday, after a video circulated showing the player joking about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong. Mocking Mao, the founder of the People's Republic of China who died in 1976, is considered offensive and socially prohibited in the country.
Dongpeng announced in an official statement that it strongly opposes any behavior that offends national sentiments, confirming the termination of all forms of cooperation with Mbappe effective immediately. The company had previously displayed AI-generated advertisements showing Mbappe (27 years old) drinking its beverages during the 2026 World Cup. For his part, Mengniu, the largest dairy producer in China, ended its collaboration with the striker who enjoyed widespread popularity among Chinese fans.
Mengniu added in a statement that it follows a policy of zero tolerance for any words or actions that offend the Chinese people. Mbappe had stated in the circulated video that the funniest satirical image was one where his face was superimposed onto that of a "Chinese dictator," referring to images similar to those of "Mao." The hashtag calling for ending cooperation with Mbappe topped the most trending topics on the Chinese Weibo platform.
For his part, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun affirmed that words and actions offending the sentiments of the Chinese people will face unanimous rejection. The football platform Dongqiu Di described Mbappe's comments as offensive to China and its fans. Mbappe had previously commented in September last year on old photos that resembled him to a dictator, noting that some people treated them with a sense of humor despite the less amusing aspects.
This controversy came one day after Mbappe lost the Ballon d'Or award to Englishman Harry Kane. Global stars have previously sparked controversy in China and lost sponsorship deals after comments touching on sensitive issues such as Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Source: Arriyadiyah newspaper
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