Mbappé Dropped by Chinese Brands Dongpeng and Mengniu Over Apparent Mao Joke
Photo: The GuardianFrench football star Kylian Mbappé was dropped on Tuesday by two major Chinese brands, drinks company Dongpeng and dairy producer Mengniu, after an online video in which he apparently joked about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong. Both companies said they were ending all cooperation with the 27-year-old France captain and Real Madrid forward with immediate effect. Each said it has a zero-tolerance policy toward behavior or words that offend national sentiments or hurt the feelings of the Chinese people. In the video, Mbappé says the funniest internet meme he has seen shows his face photoshopped onto a man he thinks is a Chinese dictator. That appears to refer to a meme placing his face on an image of Mao, one of several memes that use his face with historical figures. Jokes about Mao, who died in 1976, are considered disrespectful in China. Dongpeng ran adverts with AI-generated images of Mbappé drinking its sports drink during this year's World Cup. Mengniu is China's largest dairy producer. Mbappé had been hugely popular in China, with millions of social media followers and the nickname "Guigui" (Turtle), from a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles meme.
Left-leaning coverage, represented by The Guardian, leads with the brands dropping Mbappé for offending national sentiments. It adds context on the Mao taboo, the World Cup adverts, his Chinese fan base and his nickname, and quotes both company statements. Right-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and alternative outlets had, so there is no right-leaning framing to compare. Among alternative outlets, France 24 closely matches the left's account, with the same statements and a fuller explanation of the meme. Global Times differs: its headline reports three lost Chinese sponsorships after backlash over inappropriate remarks. The available text of its article is mostly a photo caption and unrelated Real Madrid items, with no details on the brands.
How the sides differ Left sources stress the Mao taboo and Mbappé's popularity in China; alternative sources differ on the number of sponsors lost; right sources had not covered it.
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The Guardian leads with the two brands cutting ties over offending national sentiments, quoting both statements and adding context on the Mao taboo, Mbappé's Chinese popularity and the World Cup adverts.
France 24 mirrors the brand statements and explains the Mao meme, while Global Times headlines a higher count of three lost sponsorships and frames the remarks as inappropriate.