Kylian Mbappé dropped by Chinese brands for ‘offending national sentiments’

• Video appears to show Mao Zedong called a ‘dictator’

• Dongpeng and Mengniu end deals with player

Kylian Mbappé has been dropped by two major brands in China after a video circulated online in which the France striker apparently joked about the former leader Mao Zedong. In China jokes about Mao, the founding leader of the People’s Republic of China who died in 1976, are considered disrespectful and remain a social taboo.

“Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments,” the drinks company Dongpeng said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that “with immediate effect we are terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappé”.

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