Chinese brands drop Mbappe over alleged Mao Zedong joke

Two major Chinese brands dropped French footballer Kylian Mbappé on Tuesday following the circulation of a video in which he allegedly made a joke regarding the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong. According to BBC World, Mbappé reportedly told the French talk show The Bridge that his favorite meme features his face superimposed on a Chinese dictator, adding that the image makes him laugh and that he uses it with friends. While Mbappé did not name Mao in the clips, screengrabs of the content have spread on Chinese social media.

The comments have drawn significant backlash, as jokes about the founding leader are considered disrespectful and a social taboo in China, according to Punch. China's foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated that words and deeds hurting the feelings of the Chinese people will face opposition from all sectors of society. The Chinese football forum Dongqiudi also labeled the comments inappropriate. Neither Mbappé nor The Bridge has commented on the matter.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, BBC World — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.