Kylian Mbappe faced backlash in China after a clip linked to the online show 'The Bridge' circulated online. In the footage, which had not been independently verified, he apparently joked about a meme showing his face on Mao Zedong's body, as China's foreign ministry responded.
Clip at centre of controversy
The controversy stemmed from a clip linked to the online show 'The Bridge'. In the clip, Mbappe referred to a meme showing his face on Mao Zedong's body.
The footage had not been independently verified.
Brands end cooperation
Dongpeng said in a statement: "Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments", adding that "with immediate effect we are terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe".
Mengniu said in a statement: "With immediate effect our company is terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe." It added: "Mengniu firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people".
Official response and broadcast action
China's foreign ministry responded to the controversy. A spokesperson said that words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people would naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.
Football Espana reported that, according to the Global Times, The Paper reported that China Media Group has suspended broadcasts of matches involving LaLiga and Mbappe.
Football Espana reported that CCTV's news apps have removed content about Mbappe.
No public comment from other parties
Football Espana reported that neither LaLiga nor Real Madrid had commented publicly at the time of writing.
Football Espana reported that Mbappe had not responded at the time of writing, and that The Bridge had stayed silent at the time of writing.
In September, Mbappe addressed a previous meme depicting him as a military dictator in an interview with L'Equipe. He said: "There's a part of it that's funny. You can tell that, for some people, it's all in good fun. But there is another part that's a bit less funny because of the damage such people have caused throughout history."
He also said: "Being compared to individuals who murder others, or who have brought misery to millions upon millions of people -- well, I don't think I've ever done anything like that in my life."