HONG KONG — He’s one of the world’s most popular athletes, but Kylian Mbappé is suddenly paying the penalty for being on the wrong side of China’s fervent nationalism.The French soccer star’s own goal? Suggesting that Mao Zedong, the founding leader of Communist China, was a dictator, in comments that revolved around memes portraying Mbappé as an authoritarian figure.A host of Chinese brands said Tuesday that they were cutting ties with the France captain, the latest example of how rapidly celebrities can go from having their face plastered in subway stations and on drink bottles to drawing condemnation over political sensitivities that are little understood outside China.The scale of the backlash prompted La Liga, the Spanish league of which Mbappé is the leading light, to apologize and distance itself from his remarks.Mbappé himself then apologized “to everyone my words have upset,” saying that his “comment was ill-judged.”The swift apologies aimed to head off what had been a wave of outrage.Dongpeng Beverage, known for its energy drinks, Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy, one of China’s largest dairy producers, and cheese maker Milkground all issued similarly worded statements early Tuesday announcing that they were terminating their ties with Mbappé.“Our company firmly opposes and adopts a zero-tolerance policy toward any behavior that hurts the feelings of the Chinese people,” Dongpeng Beverage said in its statement on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.
Dongqiudi, the popular Chinese soccer platform, said it could not translate Mbappé’s remarks because “his comments involve statements that hurt China.” Dongpeng electrolyte drinks featuring Mbappé at a convenience store in Beijing on Tuesday.Pedro Pardo / AFP via GettyThe Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu also distanced itself from Mbappé, saying its contract with him had ended after he appeared in a 2024 ad for the platform that went viral.On Tuesday, a note on ...