Beverage Firms in China Drop Mbappé Over Mao Meme Remarks

gmx.net (German) —

Two beverage companies in China have ended their advertising partnerships with French football star Kylian Mbappé, citing behavior that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people. The companies did not specify what he did wrong. The decision follows comments Mbappé made in a podcast interview, where he named a meme featuring his face on a "Chinese dictator" as his favorite. Chinese media and online platforms have censored the remarks, which reportedly referenced Mao Zedong. Mbappé, a Real Madrid striker, had partnerships with a sports drink maker in Shenzhen and a dairy company from Inner Mongolia. His image appears on their product labels, and he has many fans in China.


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