Chinese brands cut Mbappé ties after Mao joke halts La Liga broadcasts

Kylian Mbappé apologized after Chinese companies ended endorsement deals and state media suspended La Liga matches over a viral clip in which he referred to a meme linking him to Mao Zedong. Dongpeng, Mengniu and Milkground said they were cutting ties with the Real Madrid and France forward, while The Paper reported public television had stopped airing Spain's top league. Mbappé called the remark “ill-judged” and said it hurt people in China and Chinese communities worldwide. La Liga and Real Madrid also issued apologies as anger spread on Weibo, where related hashtags drew hundreds of millions of views. In China, Mao remains a highly sensitive figure and coverage often avoided repeating exactly what Mbappé said.