Chinese Brands End Mbappé Deals Over Mao Zedong Joke

Real Madrid and France forward Kylian Mbappé has reportedly lost endorsement deals with two Chinese brands after a video surfaced showing him joking about Mao Zedong. In the clip, Mbappé reportedly described a meme that placed his face on that of a Chinese leader. The remarks drew criticism in China, where jokes about Mao, the country’s founding leader, are widely considered disrespectful. Drinks company Dongpeng and dairy producer Mengniu announced that they were ending their partnerships with the footballer, citing zero tolerance for conduct they said offended Chinese public sentiment. A major Chinese football outlet also described the comments as offensive to Chinese fans.

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