Sports
Chinese brands drop Mbappé over Mao Zedong joke backlash
October 27, 2026 at 07:59 AM
Coverage
3 reports · 1 in Arabic, 2 in English
BNBBC News
Major Chinese brands drop Mbappé as backlash grows over Mao joke
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KOKooora
ضربة موجعة ثانية بعد الكرة الذهبية: مبابي في قلب عاصفة غضب مليونية والسبب صادم
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TGThe Guardian
Kylian Mbappé dropped by Chinese brands for ‘offending national sentiments’
(opens the publisher’s site)Two Chinese companies have terminated their sponsorship deals with Kylian Mbappé after a video showed the footballer joking about Mao Zedong.
- Dongpeng and Mengniu announced Tuesday they ended all cooperation with the Real Madrid forward with immediate effect.
- Dongpeng cited a "zero-tolerance policy" towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments.
- Mengniu said it firmly opposes any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.
- Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said such remarks would "naturally" be met with opposition from Chinese society.