Mbappé Apologises as Chinese Sponsors Cut Ties Over Mao Video

Kylian Mbappé has apologised after a viral video in which he appears to make a joke about Mao Zedong cost him major sponsorship deals in China. The Real Madrid forward is heard describing the funniest meme he had seen featuring his face, which placed his features on the image of "some guy" he called a Chinese dictator. The clip was a clear reference to an edit that superimposes Mbappé's face onto a portrait of Mao.

The commercial fallout was swift. Dongpeng, the drinks company, and Mengniu, one of the country's largest dairy groups, both ended their partnerships with the player. For a footballer whose global profile depends heavily on brand deals, losing two high-profile backers in the world's second-largest economy is a serious blow, even if the wider financial damage remains unclear.

Mao is a deeply sensitive figure in China, and jokes that cast him in an unflattering light can quickly turn into a national controversy. Foreign athletes and celebrities have been caught out by similar episodes before, and the pattern is usually the same: Chinese commercial partners move fast, often before an apology has had time to land.

The reach of the row may extend beyond sponsors. The Paper, a digital outlet run by the state-backed Shanghai United Media Group, reported that public television has suspended broadcasts of La Liga matches. That would matter a great deal to the league, which has built a sizeable following in China over many years, and it suggests the controversy has moved from the commercial sphere into the broadcasting one. The report has not been independently confirmed, and it was not clear from the initial coverage how long any suspension might last.

Mbappé's apology has not, so far, been enough to stop the fallout. Whether other partners follow Dongpeng and Mengniu, and whether Chinese broadcasters or the league say anything more publicly, will determine how far the damage spreads.