{
  "id": 16731854,
  "title": "Major Chinese brands drop Mbappe over Chairman Mao meme jokes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/major-chinese-brands-drop-mbappe-over-chairman-mao-meme-jokes",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-27T09:37:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/major-chinese-brands-drop-mbappe-over-chairman-mao-meme-jokes/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Two prominent Chinese sponsors of Kylian Mbappe have severed ties with the footballer following his jokes about Chairman Mao Zedong, according to reports. Dairy company Mengniu and beverage firm Dongpeng ended their support for the Ballon d’Or runner-up after he made light of a meme featuring the image of the former Communist China leader. The meme in question juxtaposes Mbappe’s face with a picture of Mao, who is infamous for the deaths of millions due to famine and political purges. The French footballer has been likened to a \"dictator\" by some football fans due to his exceptional performance in recent years. Dongpeng announced immediate termination of cooperation with Mbappe, citing a zero-tolerance policy for offending national sentiments. Mengniu echoed this stance, emphasizing its firm opposition to any actions that harm Chinese people's feelings. Chinese media outlets, including CCTV, have suspended LaLiga matches from their programming due to the comments, and the social media platform Weibo saw a surge in discussions about the incident. CCTV reportedly removed all content related to the 27-year-old from their platform. Mbappe defended himself in a September interview with France Football, stating he doesn't believe he has behaved like those who caused immense suffering. The former champion was narrowly beaten by England's Harry Kane to the prestigious Ballon d’Or award, marking the first time an Englishman won the accolade in 25 years.",
  "summary": "Two major Chinese sponsors of Kylian Mbappe have dropped their support for the footballer after the Frenchman made jokes about Chairman Mao Zedong. Dairy producer Mengniu and drinks firm Dongpeng have dropped the Ballon d’Or runner-up after he reportedly told French TV a meme “that makes me laugh the most…the one where there’s a video [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Guardian Business",
        "title": "Kylian Mbappé dropped by Chinese brands for ‘offending national sentiments’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/kylian-mbappe-dropped-by-chinese-brands-for-offending-national",
        "published": "2026-10-27T06:24:28.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Business",
        "title": "Major Chinese brands drop Mbappé as backlash grows over Mao joke",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/major-chinese-brands-drop-mbappe-as-backlash-grows-over-mao-joke",
        "published": "2026-10-27T07:15:08.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Major Chinese brands drop Mbappé as backlash grows over Mao joke",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/major-chinese-brands-drop-mbappe-as-backlash-grows-over-mao-joke-16725021",
        "published": "2026-10-27T08:01:43.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Politico EU",
        "title": "Kylian Mbappé dropped by Chinese brands over ‘dictator’ comment",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/kylian-mbappe-dropped-by-chinese-brands-over-dictator-comment",
        "published": "2026-10-27T10:38:15.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}