China Says It Takes Mbappé Apology Seriously; CCTV Halts La Liga, Brands Drop Him
The Facts
- Dongpeng Beverage and Mengniu, China's largest dairy producer, announced they were terminating cooperation with Kylian Mbappé with immediate effect, citing zero tolerance for behavior that offends national sentiment or hurts the feelings of the Chinese people. ✓6 · France 24, BBC, Al Jazeera, SCMP, NBC News, CNBC
- Mbappé apologized in a statement in French, Mandarin and English, saying his comment was 'ill-judged' and hurt many people in China and Chinese communities worldwide, and that he has deep respect for the Chinese people and their history. ✓6 · Al Jazeera, France 24, NBC News, Fox News, CNBC, Bloomberg
- The backlash followed a clip circulated on Chinese social media from the French show The Bridge (hosted by Real Madrid teammate Aurelien Tchouameni), in which Mbappé said his favorite meme showed a guy he thought was 'a Chinese dictator' with his face superimposed; the show displayed a meme resembling Mao Zedong. He did not name Mao. ✓6 · France 24, BBC, Al Jazeera, NBC News, CNBC, Fox News
- Chinese state broadcaster CCTV (overseen by CMG) suspended La Liga coverage and matches involving Mbappé and pulled advertisements featuring him. ✓5 · BBC, Al Jazeera, NBC News, CNBC, Fox News
- Milkground, a cheese maker controlled by Mengniu, also cut ties with Mbappé. ✓4 · SCMP, NBC News, CNBC, Al Jazeera
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- La Liga apologized, saying it deeply regrets the offense caused among Chinese fans and that the comments were made in a personal capacity and do not represent the league. President Javier Tebas said the league is working with Chinese partners. ✓4 · Al Jazeera, NBC News, Fox News, CNBC
- Chinese foreign ministry spokespeople, including Guo Jiakun, said words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will be met with opposition from all sectors of Chinese society. ✓4 · BBC, NBC News, Al Jazeera, CNBC
- Mbappé lost the Ballon d'Or to Harry Kane on Monday. ✓4 · France 24, Al Jazeera, NBC News, Fox News
- Mbappé's accounts on Xiaohongshu and Weibo were muted or suspended; Xiaohongshu said its contract with Mbappé had ended and his account was suspended for 'violating community guidelines'. Weibo's notice cited violating laws or the Weibo Community Convention. ✓3 · NBC News, CNBC, Al Jazeera
- Chinese football outlet Dongqiudi publicized the comments in a statement Monday night calling them offensive. ✓2 · BBC, Al Jazeera
- Some Chinese media reports said Dior and Hublot removed Mbappé-related content on Weibo; an AFP search of their Weibo pages for his Chinese name returned no results. On and Dior reportedly removed Chinese promotional content, though neither announced a global termination. ✓2 · Al Jazeera, CNBC
- People's Daily published an opinion piece this week saying learning to respect other nations and cultures is an essential lesson for global celebrities. ✓2 · Al Jazeera, CNBC
- Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Wednesday: 'We take seriously the apology the individual concerned has made.' Al Jazeera only
- At Adidas's Beijing Sanlitun flagship, AFP found Real Madrid shirts on sale but none bearing Mbappé's name; Mbappé merchandise remained available on Taobao. Al Jazeera only
- The original joke was not reposted or had been scrubbed from Chinese social media, and the clip has since been taken down. Al Jazeera only
- A China Media Group representative said on Oct. 27: 'We will listen to his words, but watch his actions even more closely,' urging Mbappé, Real Madrid and La Liga to learn from the incident. CNBC only
- Dongpeng's sports drink brand Bushuila had unveiled Mbappé as its ambassador in April 2026. CNBC only
- Mbappé had about a million followers each on Xiaohongshu and Weibo; four topics about him were in Weibo's top 10 searches on Oct. 27, per Reuters. CNBC only
- A related Weibo hashtag received over 300 million views. SCMP only
- Resumption of broadcasts or lifting of account restrictions could not be independently confirmed as of Oct. 28. CNBC only
- The clip's authenticity could not be independently verified by Reuters or AFP Fact Check; Al Jazeera said it was purportedly filmed in April. ⚠ disputed
Context
Chinese authorities and companies have taken a series of steps after French footballer Kylian Mbappé joked in a French TV interview about a meme showing his face on a 'Chinese dictator', widely read as a reference to Mao Zedong. Mbappé apologized on Tuesday, and La Liga also expressed regret.
On Wednesday, China's foreign ministry said it takes the apology seriously. CMG had suspended La Liga broadcasts, and several Chinese brands ended partnerships with the player.
CNBC reports that broadcasts and account restrictions had not been confirmed as lifted as of Oct. 28.
Conflicting Reports
- Authenticity of the clip: CNBC and France 24 report Reuters/AFP Fact Check could not independently verify it; Al Jazeera says it was purportedly filmed in April.
How the Agent Panel Scored This
Independent AI personas each scored importance 1–10; the story's score is a trimmed mean (highest and lowest votes dropped). Vote spread: 3.
| 5 | Critical Reader | The story reports concrete actions with measurable commercial and broadcast effects (CCTV suspending La Liga coverage, Dongpeng and Mengniu ending sponsorships, platform account suspensions), but the scope is limited to one player's endorsements and a single broadcaster's coverage rather than broad societal impact. |
| 4 | Global Affairs Analyst | This is a celebrity controversy with concrete actions like broadcast suspensions and brand terminations, but its impact is limited to a commercial and sports dispute rather than major geopolitical consequences. |
| 4 | Policy Expert | The story reports concrete commercial and broadcast actions (CCTV suspending La Liga coverage, brand contract terminations, account suspensions) that have limited scope on a sports celebrity, offset by much rhetoric and statements, so it sits in the minor-to-moderate range. |
| 4 | News Editor | The story reports concrete actions like broadcast suspensions, brand contract terminations, and account restrictions affecting a celebrity athlete, but its scale is limited to a sports-celebrity controversy with narrow commercial and media impact rather than broad public effects. |
| 3 | Business Analyst | This is a celebrity endorsement dispute with concrete but limited commercial effects (brand terminations, a broadcaster suspending La Liga coverage and ads), with the foreign ministry's remarks being mere rhetoric and no meaningful market-moving or regulatory shift. |
| 3 | Informed Citizen | This is a celebrity controversy with concrete actions like brand terminations and broadcast suspensions, but its impact is limited to a footballer's commercial and broadcast relationships in China rather than ordinary people broadly, and it is likely to fade within a week. |
| 2 | Science & Tech Analyst | This is a celebrity controversy involving a sports star, brand sponsorship terminations, and broadcast suspensions with limited broader impact, mostly consisting of statements and reactions rather than major policy or societal consequences. |
Sources (16)
- Kylian Mbappe loses two major China sponsorship deals over Mao Zedong joke (France 24)
- Major Chinese brands drop Mbappé as backlash grows over Mao joke (BBC)
- Kylian Mbappe loses Chinese sponsors for calling Mao ‘Chinese dictator’ (Al Jazeera)
- Football star Kylian Mbappe faces huge China backlash over ‘unacceptable’ remark (SCMP)
- Memes, Mao and Mbappé: Chinese brands drop soccer star in fury over ‘dictator’ joke (NBC News)
- Kylian Mbappe apologises after ‘dictator’ comment angers Chinese fans (Al Jazeera)
- Kylian Mbappe predictably bends the knee after losing Chinese sponsors for laughing at meme of dictator Mao (Fox News)
- Mbappe apologizes as Chinese sponsors drop him and TV broadcasts are halted over Mao dictator remark (DW)
- Mbappé Apologizes for Perceived Mao Insult After China Backlash (Bloomberg)
- Kylian Mbappé joins LeBron James, John Cena, other athletes in bending the knee to China (Fox News)
- Kylian Mbappé's embarrassing, groveling apology to China comes down to money: Dan Dakich (Fox News)
- Kylian Mbappé faces China backlash as sponsors cut ties over viral meme (CNBC)
- Mbappe faces backlash in China for meme fiasco (Al Jazeera)
- Kylian Mbappé had to apologise after Mao Zedong joke (France 24)
- Mbappé Apologizes After China Backlash (Bloomberg)
- China says it takes Mbappe’s apology ‘seriously’ after Mao dictator comment (Al Jazeera)