Chinese brands cut Mbappé ties amid backlash over alleged Mao meme remarks

Several Chinese brands have cut ties with Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé following a backlash over alleged comments about a meme resembling Mao Zedong, BBC News reported on Tuesday. The dispute has drawn responses from major sponsors and China's foreign ministry, while also prompting reports of restrictions on football coverage.

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The remarks were reportedly made on The Bridge, a French talk show hosted by Mbappé's Real Madrid teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni. According to the BBC, circulating clips show the striker discussing a favourite meme before an image resembling Mao, with Mbappé's face superimposed, appears. The broadcaster described those clips as unverified, said the original video was unavailable on the show's YouTube channel and could not establish when the interview first aired.

Those limitations leave important details unresolved. The BBC reported that Mbappé does not name Mao in the circulating footage, instead referring to a Chinese dictator and saying he shares the meme with friends. It also noted that the striker's dictator nickname has become a recurring online joke about his influence.

The BBC identified dairy company Mengniu and drinks business Dongpeng among the brands cutting ties as criticism intensified. Both issued statements opposing conduct they considered offensive to Chinese national sentiment. Neither statement explicitly referred to the video, according to the report, even as their decisions followed the growing online controversy.

Chinese football forum Dongqiudi drew attention to the comments on Monday night, calling them inappropriate. Screenshots and clips then spread across Chinese social media, alongside calls to boycott Mbappé and Real Madrid. Some posts obscured the meme and the disputed wording, leaving other users asking what had actually been said. By 14:00 local time on Tuesday, five of Weibo's ten leading trending topics concerned Mbappé, the BBC reported.

The fallout also reached broadcasting. Citing the state-owned Global Times, the BBC said CCTV's news apps would stop carrying content about the France forward. It separately attributed reports that CCTV would stop showing La Liga matches to Chinese media. Those broadcasting claims were reported through those outlets, rather than presented as direct announcements obtained by the BBC.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said words and actions that offended Chinese people would encounter opposition across society. The BBC said it had contacted both Mbappé and Real Madrid for comment; its report did not include a response from either.