French soccer star Kylian Mbappé has apologized after comments apparently referring to former Chinese leader Mao Zedong as a dictator triggered criticism in China and prompted three companies to end their commercial partnerships with him.
Mbappé said Tuesday that his remarks were poorly judged and acknowledged that they had offended people in China and Chinese communities worldwide. He expressed respect for the Chinese people and their history.
The controversy followed the circulation of a video showing Mbappé discussing a meme that superimposed his face onto Mao’s body. Chinese social media users criticized the player, while hashtags calling for boycotts trended on Weibo.
RedNote also said it would remove promotional material featuring Mbappé. His account on the platform was barred from gaining new followers on Tuesday.
Related Tweet:
At least three Chinese firms are cutting ties with French soccer star Kylian Mbappé, after he made some comments apparently referring to Mao Zedong, the founding leader of Communist China, as a dictator. Read more: https://t.co/qd82vIcIjn
— ABC News (@ABC) October 27, 2026
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