P103news.today103Wed 28 Oct10:58
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Mbappé drops Chinese sponsors after Mao meme comment
Kylian Mbappé lost endorsement deals with three Chinese companies after apparently referring to Mao Zedong as a dictator in a video.
Kylian Mbappé lost endorsement deals with Chinese companies Dongpeng, Mengniu and Milkground after a video circulated showing him discussing a meme depicting his face superimposed onto that of Mao Zedong. In the clip, apparently filmed for the French online talk show The Bridge, Mbappé referred to the image as depicting 'some guy—I think he's a Chinese dictator'. The companies announced their terminations on Tuesday, each saying they oppose 'any words and actions that hurt national sentiment', though they did not explicitly link their decisions to the video. Mbappé subsequently apologised in a statement published in French, Mandarin and English, saying his comment was 'ill-judged' and that he had 'deep respect for the Chinese people and their history'. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV suspended broadcasts of La Liga matches, while La Liga itself issued an apology. China's foreign ministry spokesman said his apology would be judged by his actions.
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