Kylian Mbappe loses two major sponsors over 'dictator' meme controversy

Dubai: Kylian Mbappe has lost commercial partnerships with two major Chinese brands after a video circulated online in which the France captain appeared to joke about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

Sports drinks maker Dongpeng and dairy giant Mengniu announced on October 27 that they were ending their collaborations with the Real Madrid forward, citing remarks they said offended Chinese people.

“Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments,” Dongpeng said in a statement, confirming the immediate termination of its partnership with the 27-year-old.

Mengniu issued a similar statement, saying it would also end its cooperation with Mbappe and would not tolerate words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.

The controversy followed the circulation of a video in which Mbappe reportedly described an internet meme featuring his face superimposed on that of “some guy – I think he’s a Chinese dictator”. The remark appeared to refer to Mao, who led China for decades and died in 1976.

The authenticity of the video could not immediately be verified according to AFP Fact Check.

The episode has triggered strong reactions on Chinese social media, with Dongpeng’s decision becoming a trending topic on Weibo. Some users called for the company to remove Mbappe’s image from its products.

Mbappe had previously addressed memes portraying him as a historical dictator, telling French newspaper L’Equipe in September that comparisons with figures responsible for mass suffering were not funny.

The French star had enjoyed considerable popularity in China, where fans nicknamed him “guigui”, meaning turtle, because of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles meme. The dictator memes are another category with which fans troll Mbappe, citing his alleged strong demands within the club as a connection.

The controversy comes a day after Mbappe missed out to England striker Harry Kane in the Ballon d’Or race, losing the prestigious individual award to the Bayern Munich forward.