Kylian Mbappe has lost the backing of several Chinese brands after an online video appeared to show the France captain describing a meme resembling an image of Mao Zedong as the funniest one made about him.
In the video, which emerged on Monday, Mbappe is heard referring to a meme in which his face had been superimposed on that of “a Chinese dictator”. Reuters has not been able to authenticate the footage.
Supporters have created a series of images placing Mbappe’s face on military and political leaders, suggesting he has the authority to make decisions at the clubs for which he plays.
Mao, the founder of the People’s Republic of China, is regarded by many in the country as its saviour. Jokes involving him are widely considered taboo. He died in 1976.
Eastroc Beverage, which had used Mbappe’s image on its drinks, announced on China’s Weibo social media platform that it was ending its relationship with the player.
The company said it firmly opposed “behaviour that hurts national sentiment”.
“Effective immediately, we are ending all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe,” it added.
Mbappe’s representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The 26-year-old had previously addressed the trend in an interview with L’Equipe last month. He said some elements of the memes were harmless fun, but argued that images portraying him as a dictator demonstrated “a lack of political and human awareness”.
Dairy companies Mengniu and Milkground have also ended their cooperation with Mbappe.
Asked about the controversy, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people “will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of the Chinese society”.
China’s state television has also stopped broadcasting matches and events involving LaLiga and Mbappe, according to a report by state-backed media outlet The Paper on Tuesday.
The report said all advertisements featuring Mbappe had been removed.
LaLiga and Real Madrid did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
