Chinese Brands Drop Mbappé Amid 'Dictator' Meme Controversy
Beverage, dairy, and cheese makers terminate agreements following alleged comments and social media backlash.
Callum Smith
Several Chinese brands have dropped French footballer Kylian Mbappé.
Beverage maker Dongpeng, dairy giant Mengniu, and cheese maker Milkground announced the termination of their agreements with the footballer. These companies stated on Tuesday they oppose "any words and actions that hurt national sentiment."
The terminations follow reports that Mbappé told French talk show The Bridge his "favourite meme" is "the one where they put my face on a Chinese dictator." As he spoke, a meme reportedly appeared with his face superimposed on an image resembling Mao Zedong, who founded Communist China in 1949 and ruled through tumultuous decades. Mbappé reportedly did not identify Mao by name.
The original video is no longer on the show's YouTube channel. Screengrabs have spread across Chinese social media. The authenticity of the video could not be immediately verified.
firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.
Mengniu, China's largest dairy producer, stated it "firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people." Chinese football forum Dongqiudi drew attention to the comments on Monday night, calling them "inappropriate" and damaging to "the feelings of Chinese people."
Separately, social media platform RedNote stated its content partnership with Mbappé ended on December 31, 2024. It would remove related promotional materials. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV is suspending La Liga matches.
Hashtags related to brands ending partnerships with Mbappé and football fans boycotting him trended on Weibo. The footballer was nicknamed 'the dictator' in the football world due to his influence and control.
any words and actions that hurt national sentiment.
Some social media users question what exactly Mbappé said or did that was offensive, given brands have not mentioned the controversial clip.