China Drops Mbappe Over Controversial Remarks

A viral interview video showed Mbappe reportedly choosing a meme featuring his face superimposed on Mao Zedong, sparking controversy in China.

Beijing: French football superstar Kylian Mbappe provoked a major controversy in China after making comments about a viral online meme showing former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, which sparked significant uproar. The dispute erupted after a video of an online interview spread on social media. When asked about his favourite meme involving himself, Mbappe reportedly chose one that placed his face on the torso of a Chinese dictator, referring to Mao Zedong. He also mentioned that he shared the meme with friends while playing online games. The comments quickly enraged Chinese social media users, with many accusing the footballer of insulting Chinese history and national sentiments. The matter gathered traction on the Chinese social media network Weibo, when hashtags advocating for punishment against Mbappe started trending. The backlash quickly affected his commercial partnerships. Three Chinese companies, Dongpeng Beverage, dairy company Mengniu, and cheese producer Milkground, have declared the termination of their agreement with the French footballer. The corporations stated that they have zero tolerance for words or acts that undermine Chinese national sentiment. Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, also commented on the incident, stating that words and acts that hurt the Chinese people's feelings would inevitably meet disapproval from many segments of society. Meanwhile, Chinese social media network RedNote criticized the scandal and announced that it will remove promotional materials featuring Mbappe. The platform confirmed that its content partnership with the footballer had already expired in December 2024.

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