‘I think he was a Chinese dictator’: Kylian Mbappé backtracks on stray comment after he starts losing endorsements overseas
Source: Fortune ·
The French football superstar was asked on a French TV show about his favorite meme of himself, and he seemed to describe one based on Mao Zedong.
From the source
Soccer star Kylian Mbappé apologized for comments in which he apparently referred to Mao Zedong, the founding leader of Communist China, as a dictator, after facing backlash and losing brand deals with three different Chinese companies. “My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” Mbappé said in a statement Tuesday. “I apologize to everyone my words have upset,” he said. “This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry.” Mbappé’s face appears in ads across China, from subway stations to inside elevators. Beverage maker Dongpeng, dairy giant Mengniu and cheese maker Milkground said in similarly worded statements Tuesday that they were ending agreements with the soccer star, each saying they oppose “any words and actions that hurt national sentiment.” The companies did not specify what prompted their decisions, but they…
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