Chinese broadcaster freezes broadcasts and partnerships tied to Mbappé after Mao controversy

A Chinese state television network stopped broadcasting all matches and events from the Spanish and French leagues in which Kylian Mbappé appears, and removed advertisements featuring the player, according to state-backed Chinese press reports.

The suspension decision came after angry protests over remarks attributed to Mbappé about the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong, prompting several local brands to end their collaborations with him in an escalation that threatens his commercial ties in a market considered important by global companies.

The crisis began after a video circulated online on Monday in which a voice attributed to Mbappé was heard commenting on a satirical image he said he had seen that showed his face superimposed on a person he described as "a Chinese dictator." Reuters said it could not verify the video, and the remarks are believed to refer to an image that appears to show the player’s face superimposed on a picture of Mao Zedong.

Mocking Mao — who governed China from 1949 until his death in 1976 — is a socially sensitive issue in the country, which helps explain the strong reactions to the incident in the media and among Chinese internet users.

According to state press reports, the remarks angered Mbappé’s supporters in China and threatened existing commercial contracts, describing the incident as a reminder of the limits of celebrity influence. Other Chinese media outlets also criticized the statements attributed to the player, calling for respect for Chinese consumers' feelings.

Mengniu Dairy, Shanghai Milkground Food Tech and Eastrock Beverages announced the immediate suspension of all forms of cooperation with Mbappé, saying they reject any words or actions that offend the feelings of the Chinese people.

Javier Tebas, president of the Spanish league, apologized for the remarks attributed to the player via X, expressing the league’s regret for what happened in China and saying the league is working directly with its partners and relevant parties there to resolve the crisis and preserve long-standing relationships.

Real Madrid had not commented on the incident, and neither Mbappé’s representative nor the Spanish league responded immediately to requests for comment.

The fallout spread to Chinese social platforms, where several topics related to Mbappé remained among the most searched until 7 a.m. GMT. Some users called for the player to be blacklisted and for his commercial value to be reduced, comments that received hundreds of likes.

Mbappé has endorsement deals with global brands including sportswear firm On, the Accor hotel group and the LEGO company. LEGO said it could not comment on the incident, though the player’s products remained listed on its China site, while On and Accor did not respond to requests for comment.

There has previously been controversy over satirical images showing Mbappé’s face superimposed on images of political and military leaders. In an interview with a French newspaper last month, the player said some of the images might be innocent jokes but added that images portraying him as a dictator reflect a lack of political and human awareness.

A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry said that words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will face common opposition from different sectors of society.