Mbappé loses a sponsor for laughing at Mao Zedong and China suspends La Liga

The Chinese beverage group Dongpeng has announced that it is terminating its contract with Real Madrid footballer Kylian Mbappé after the Frenchman acknowledged that he laughs at memes comparing him to Mao Zedong. The company, which also owns the beverage brand Bu Shui La, which the player had been advertising since the World Cup, released a statement on the local social network Weibo to confirm the split, citing "zero tolerance for behavior that hurts national sentiments," without specifying which ones.

The controversy over the joke has reached the point where, according to a local media outlet, Chinese state television has suspended broadcasts of the Spanish La Liga and matches featuring the Frenchman. This is in addition to pulling advertisements and videos featuring the footballer.

In China, satire about former leaders and prominent figures linked to the Chinese Communist Party is prosecuted under the crime of defamation of heroes and martyrs. Dongpeng's statement was made public following the circulation of a response from Mbappé during a recent interview in which he was asked about his favorite meme. The player stated: "The one that made me laugh the most is the one where they put my face on a guy I think is a Chinese dictator. I use it a lot with my friends." The athlete did not specifically mention the name of any leader. In recent months, a meme of the Real Madrid player that shows his face superimposed on a portrait of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong has become popular on social media among fans who satirize the French footballer.

The termination of Mbappé's contract adds to a series of recent controversies involving Spanish and Catalan football clubs with China. In September, official Chinese media criticized Real Madrid following the publication of a message on social media that mentioned Nepal and the Tibet region together after a flood, a formulation considered incorrect by the local press for having equated the two territories. In April, FC Barcelona apologized to China after the appearance of an image containing the flag of Taiwan on a page managed by a third party and linked to its international academy. Likewise, in February, Real Madrid released apologies attributed to its defender Dean Huijsen on the social network Weibo, after the player shared content on his Instagram account described as racist and offensive towards Asian citizens.