By Aadi Nair and Clare Jim
Oct 27 (Reuters) – A number of Chinese brands have cut ties with France soccer captain Kylian Mbappe over comments he reportedly made referring to the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong, underscoring how swiftly international celebrities can come unstuck in a crucial market.
In a video that emerged online on Monday, Mbappe is heard saying that the funniest meme he had seen of himself was one where his face had been photoshopped on to that of “some guy — I think he’s a Chinese dictator”.
Reuters has not been able to authenticate the video.
His comments were believed to be an apparent reference to a meme of Mbappe superimposed on an image of Mao, one of several using the soccer player’s face and other historical figures.
In China, satire or jokes about Mao, the country’s founding leader who ruled the country from 1949 until his death in 1976, are considered disrespectful and remain a social taboo.
“A remark about an internet meme has triggered a backlash among his Chinese fans, threatened his lucrative commercial relationships and offered a sharp reminder of the limits of celebrity influence,” state media outlet China Daily said.
The furore makes Mbappe – one of the world’s most prominent sports stars who has ties with firms from sportswear brand On Holding to hotel chain Accor and toy maker Lego – the latest to fall foul of a faux pas in China.
Other leading firms and organizations that have previously incurred the wrath of Beijing, netizens and Chinese media include fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana, Swiss watchmaker Swatch and the National Basketball Association.
‘WHAT DID HE SAY?’
Many Chinese media outlets on Tuesday condemned Mbappe’s apparent remarks, but did not repeat them.
“What did he say? Many Chinese would rather not repeat it,” the state-backed Global Times said.
“The message from Chinese consumers is clear: Respect is not optional; one doesn’t get to profit from China while disrespecting it. Not a chance.”
Brands including dairy companies Mengniu and Shanghai Milkground Food Tech as well as Eastroc Beverage said they were ceasing all cooperation with Mbappe, who plays his club soccer for Real Madrid, effective immediately.
The companies said they “firmly oppose and have zero tolerance for any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.”
China’s state television has halted broadcasts of all matches and events involving LaLiga and Mbappe, and all advertisements involving Mbappe have been removed, state-backed media outlet the Paper reported on Tuesday.
Mbappe’s representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His club Real Madrid declined to comment.
Spain’s LaLiga did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but its president, Javier Tebas, issued an apology on X and said that the organization deeply regretted the alleged comments that “have caused discomfort and offence in China”.
“We are taking the measures within our reach and working directly with our partners and interlocutors in China to overcome this situation,” Tebas wrote. “A relationship built over so many years cannot be damaged by a single episode.”
Denmark’s Lego, which has a Mbappe building set on sale in China, said it could not comment. The Mbappe set still featured on Lego’s Chinese website on Tuesday. On Holding and Accor did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
TRENDING ON WEIBO
As of 0700 GMT, four topics related to Mbappe were still among the top 10 trending searches on China’s social media platform Weibo. Some netizens called for China to “blacklist” Mbappe and reduce his commercial value to zero. These comments received hundreds of likes.
Fans have been creating memes superimposing Mbappe’s face on images of military and political leaders to suggest that he has the power to influence decisions at the teams he plays for.
In an interview with L’Equipe last month, Mbappe said that while some aspects of the meme trend were harmless fun, the viral ones depicting him as a dictator showed “a lack of political and human awareness.”
When asked about the incident, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said that words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people “will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.”
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru, Clare Jim in Hong Kong; Additional reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen in Copenhagen, Helen Reid in London and Alessandro Parodi in Paris; Editing by Peter Rutherford, Anne Marie Roantree, Adam Jourdan, Keith Weir and Ed Osmond)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.