BEIJING: Kylian Mbappe apologised on Tuesday after the Real Madrid star was dropped by major Chinese brands for apparently joking about Mao Zedong in a video that has gone viral.
There were also signs of broader repercussions, with state-run The Paper reporting that public television was suspending broadcasts of matches from Spain's La Liga.
The offending video shows Mbappe saying that the funniest internet meme he had seen involving him was of his face photo-shopped onto that of "some guy – I think he's a Chinese dictator."
This was an apparent reference to a meme of Mbappe superimposed on an image of Mao.
The authenticity of the video could not immediately be verified by AFP Fact Check.
"My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world. I apologise to everyone my words have upset," French forward Mbappe said in a statement in French, Chinese and English.
Spain's La Liga also apologised, saying it "deeply regrets the offence that Kylian Mbappe's recent comments have caused among Chinese fans. These comments were made in a personal capacity and do not represent La Liga."
In China, jokes about Mao, the country's founding leader who died in 1976 – and whose drastic policies are also blamed by historians for mass starvation and millions of deaths – remain taboo.
Beverage giant Dongpeng, which during this year's World Cup ran adverts with AI-generated images of Mbappe consuming its sport drink, said it was terminating all cooperation with the France captain.
"Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments," Dongpeng said in a statement.
Mengniu, China's largest dairy producer, and cheesemaker Milkground also said that they were cutting ties with Mbappe, who until now was hugely popular among Chinese fans with millions of social media followers.
"Dongpeng Beverage ends cooperation with Mbappe" was the top-trending topic on Chinese social media site Weibo with 430 million views.
One Weibo user said the "extremely serious wrong remarks... crossed the red line" and others urged Dongpeng to remove Mbappe's image from their bottles.
Dongqiudi, one of China's biggest online football outlets, said Mbappe's remarks were "offensive to China and the Chinese people."
Furore
In an interview with French sports newspaper L'Equipe, the 27-year-old Mbappe in September addressed a previous meme depicting him as a military dictator.
"There's a part of it that's funny... but there is another part that's a bit less funny because of the damage such people have caused throughout history," he said.
China's foreign ministry said it was aware of the reports regarding Mbappe, who on Monday finished runner-up to English forward Harry Kane in the Ballon d'Or award for the world's best player.
"Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with unanimous rejection from all sectors of Chinese society," spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular briefing.
State media outlet The Paper cited sources at the state broadcaster saying that CCTV has suspended all broadcasts of La Liga matches, and removed all advertisements involving Mbappe.
On the CCTV website, La Liga matches this weekend were still on its online viewing schedule.
Drawing China's ire
Global sports stars who have commented on sensitive topics such as Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong have previously caused controversy in China and been dumped by sponsors.
China suspended sponsorship deals with the NBA while the state broadcaster pulled NBA games off Chinese television for a year in October 2019.
This followed Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey tweeting "Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong", referring to protests Beijing called separatist and seditious.
Adam Zhang, founder of the Beijing-based sports consultancy firm Key-Solution Sports Consulting, speaking before Mbappe apologised, said a rapid response was needed to quell the growing crisis.
"It's crucial to make a sincere statement. The sooner, the better," Zhang told AFP.
Fans made their feelings clear.
"I used to really enjoy watching Mbappe play on the pitch," Zhang Jingqi, 30, who works at a mall in Beijing, said.
"But ever since this news broke yesterday I have lost that admiration, sorry to say." - AFP
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