Sponsors drop Kylian Mbappe as dictator comment angers Chinese fans; he apologises

Apology follows viral clip

The controversy followed an interview clip shared by the French football podcast The Bridge. It circulated widely on social media on Monday. Mbappe, 27, appeared to call the figure in a meme a Chinese dictator, without naming Mao Zedong. He said he had reacted to an image of himself and described his remark as ill-judged, acknowledging that it hurt many people.

Sponsors and league respond

The Real Madrid forward’s remarks cost him at least two sponsors in China. Mengniu, the country’s largest dairy producer, also ended its relationship with him. La Liga apologised for the offence caused among Chinese fans and said the comments were made in Mbappe’s personal capacity, not on behalf of the league. The league said it was working with partners and contacts in China to address the situation; Tebas wrote that a long-standing relationship should not be damaged by one episode.

Backlash continues online

Chinese media outlets condemned Mbappe’s apparent remarks, while many did not repeat them. China Daily said the backlash had put his commercial relationships at risk and highlighted limits on celebrity influence.

At 07:00 GMT, four Mbappe-related topics remained among the top 10 trending searches on Weibo. Some users called for him to be blacklisted in China and for his commercial value to be reduced to zero; their comments received hundreds of likes.