Video angers Chinese, deprives Mbappé of two brand sponsorships
Dongpeng and Mengniu dropped Mbappé as a sponsor following an offensive video regarding Mao.
Translated by Qiyas from الأنباء — Original source
Two major Chinese companies have dropped French national team star Kylian Mbappé after a video circulated online appeared to show him joking about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong. Jokes about Mao, the founder of the People’s Republic of China who died in 1976, are considered offensive in China and remain a social taboo.
In a statement, beverage giant Dongpeng said, “Our company strongly opposes and maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward any behavior that offends national sentiments,” adding, “Effective immediately, we are terminating all forms of cooperation with Kylian Mbappé.”
Advertisements featuring AI-generated images of the 27-year-old French captain drinking one of Dongpeng’s sports beverages had been regularly shown in China during this year’s World Cup.
Mengniu, China’s largest dairy producer, also ended its partnership with the Real Madrid forward, who had enjoyed widespread popularity among Chinese fans, with millions of social media followers, prior to the incident.
Spokesperson Guo Jiakun of China’s Foreign Ministry said during a regular press briefing, “We have taken note of the relevant reports. Words and actions that offend the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally face unanimous rejection from all sectors of Chinese society.”
In China, Mbappé is known by the nickname “Gui Gui,” the Chinese transliteration of “turtle,” referencing his popularity in a meme inspired by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters.
The advertisements came after a video spread online in which Mbappé said the funniest meme he had seen online was an image of his face superimposed on “one person... I think he is a Chinese dictator.” This appeared to refer to a meme in which Mbappé’s face was photoshopped onto an image of Mao, one of several similar images that placed the footballer’s face over various historical figures.
The hashtag “Dongpeng Beverage Ends Cooperation with Mbappé” topped the trending topics on China’s Weibo platform.
In a statement, Dongchui Di, one of China’s largest online football platforms, said Mbappé’s remarks “were offensive to China and the Chinese people” and “harmed the feelings of Chinese football fans and the Chinese people.”
