Key Takeaways
- Kylian Mbappe dropped by Dongpeng and Mengniu after video of him joking about Mao Zedong.
- The French footballer was nicknamed 'Guigui' due to his popularity in China.
- His comments are considered offensive in China, where jokes about Mao remain a social taboo.
Kylian Mbappe, the French football superstar, has lost two major Chinese endorsements after a video surfaced online in which he appeared to make light of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
In a statement, Dongpeng, a drinks giant, announced the immediate termination of its cooperation with Mbappe, citing a zero-tolerance policy towards any behavior that offends national sentiments.
Mengniu, China’s largest dairy producer, followed suit, stating that it would end its partnership with the Real Madrid forward, who was previously a favorite among Chinese fans with millions of followers on social media.
The incident has sparked a social media backlash, with one Weibo user calling Mbappe’s remarks “extremely serious wrong remarks that crossed the red line and are completely unacceptable.”
The video, which showed Mbappe joking about a meme of his face superimposed on that of a Chinese dictator, was widely circulated on Chinese social media, leading to increased scrutiny of his comments.
Mbappe has previously addressed similar memes, stating that while some parts of them are funny, others are less so due to the historical damage caused by figures like Mao.
His comments came a day after he lost out to Harry Kane for the Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious individual award in football, highlighting the global nature of the controversy.
The incident underscores the sensitivity around historical figures in China, where jokes about Mao, the country’s founding leader who died in 1976, are considered disrespectful and remain a social taboo.
In a statement, Dongpeng Beverage said, 'Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments. With immediate effect we are terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe.'
Mengniu echoed this stance, adding, 'Mengniu firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.'
Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments.
Dongpeng, Drinks giant
Mengniu firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.
Mengniu, China’s largest dairy producer
