Kylian Mbappe apologizes to China for 'ill-judged' Mao meme comments

France soccer captain Kylian Mbappe apologized on Tuesday after Chinese brands cut ties with him over comments referring to the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong, underscoring how swiftly international celebrities can come unstuck in a crucial market.

In a video Mbappe is heard saying that the funniest meme he had seen of himself was one where his face had been photoshopped on to that of "some guy—I think he's a Chinese dictator." His comments appeared to be a reference to a meme of Mbappe superimposed on an image of Mao.

Reuters has not been able to authenticate the video.

"During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself," Mbappe, 27, posted on social media platform X. "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," he added. "This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry."

In China, satire or jokes about Mao, the country's founding leader who ruled it from 1949 until his death in 1976, are considered disrespectful and remain a social taboo.

"A remark about an internet meme has triggered a backlash among his Chinese fans, threatened his lucrative commercial relationships and offered a sharp reminder of the limits of celebrity influence," state media outlet China Daily said.

Mbappe—one of the world's most prominent athletes who has ties with firms from sportswear brand On Holding to hotel chain Accor and toy maker Lego—became the latest sports star to fall foul of a faux pas in China.

Leading firms and organizations that have previously incurred the wrath of Beijing, netizens and Chinese media include fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana, Swiss watchmaker Swatch and the National Basketball Association.

'What did he say?'

Many Chinese media outlets on Tuesday condemned Mbappe's apparent remarks, but did not repeat them.

"What did he say? Many Chinese would rather not repeat it," the state-backed Global Times said.

"The message from Chinese consumers is clear: Respect is not optional; one doesn't get to profit from China while disrespecting it. Not a chance."

Brands including dairy companies Mengniu and Shanghai Milkground Food Tech as well as Eastroc Beverage said they were ceasing all cooperation with Mbappe, who plays his club soccer for Real Madrid, effective immediately.

The companies said they "firmly oppose and have zero tolerance for any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people."

China's state television has halted broadcasts of all matches and events involving LaLiga and Mbappe, and all advertisements involving Mbappe have been removed, state-backed media outlet the Paper reported on Tuesday.

Mbappe's representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His club Real Madrid declined to comment.

Spain's LaLiga president, Javier Tebas, issued an apology on X and said that the organization deeply regretted the alleged comments that "have caused discomfort and offense in China."

"We are taking the measures within our reach and working directly with our partners and interlocutors in China to overcome this situation," Tebas wrote. "A relationship built over so many years cannot be damaged by a single episode."

Denmark's Lego, which has a Mbappe building set on sale in China, said it could not comment. The Mbappe set still featured on Lego's Chinese website on Tuesday. On Holding and Accor did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trending on Weibo

As of 0700 GMT, four topics related to Mbappe were still among the top 10 trending searches on China's social media platform Weibo. Some netizens called for China to "blacklist" Mbappe and reduce his commercial value to zero. These comments received hundreds of likes.

Fans have been creating memes superimposing Mbappe's face on images of military and political leaders to suggest that he has the power to influence decisions at the teams he plays for. He has himself been nicknamed "the dictator" in the European press.

In an interview with L'Equipe last month, Mbappe said that while some aspects of the meme trend were harmless fun, the viral ones depicting him as a dictator showed "a lack of political and human awareness."

When asked about the incident, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry said that words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people "will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society." — Reuters