Mbappe's Chinese sponsors terminate their deals

French footballer Kylian Mbappe has lost advertising deals with two major Chinese brands after words he allegedly said about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong circulated in a video online. The video reportedly shows Mbappe saying that a meme combining his face with that of a Chinese historical figure belonged to someone he considered a "Chinese dictator."

Chinese beverage company Dongpeng Beverage and Mengniu, China's largest dairy producer, announced on Tuesday that they had parted ways with the Real Madrid forward. Dongpeng said it has zero tolerance for conduct that offends national sentiment and that it had immediately terminated all cooperation. Mengniu said it takes the same stance against words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.

The companies noted that Mbappe had featured in their advertising campaigns ahead of this year's World Cup. Mbappe had a large following among football fans in China.

AFP Fact Check has not yet been able to verify the authenticity of the video. Jokes about Mao or perceptions of disrespect remain a highly sensitive subject in China. Following the incident, the headline "Dongpeng Beverage ends cooperation with Mbappe" became one of the most discussed topics on Weibo, China's leading social media platform. Some users found the remarks unacceptable, while others called on Dongpeng to remove the footballer's image from its beverage bottles.