Overview
- Mbappé issued a multilingual public apology on Tuesday saying his remark about a meme that appeared to show his face on an image of Mao Zedong was “ill‑judged” and that he regretted hurting people in China and Chinese communities worldwide.
- Within hours companies including Dongpeng (Eastroc), Mengniu and Milkground announced they had ended or suspended sponsorship deals with Mbappé and removed promotional content from Chinese platforms.
- China Media Group/CCTV moved to restrict coverage of the player and suspend LaLiga broadcasts, and Chinese social platforms froze or limited Mbappé’s accounts and related promotional posts.
- Beijing’s foreign ministry called the apology ‘taken seriously’ but said it would assess follow‑up actions, leaving broadcasters and brands keeping restrictions in place for now.
- The episode highlights how references to Mao remain highly sensitive in China, shows the speed with which state media and corporate partners can enforce consequences, and poses a wider test for how LaLiga and global sports sponsors manage access to the Chinese market.