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Mbappe is suspected of being banned by Chinese brands for mocking Mao Zedong in a video posted online. AFP also compiled precedents for athletes such as Howard, John Cena, Morey, Kante and Ozil to trigger a reaction in China.
French football superstar Mbappe is seen mocking former Chinese leader Mao Zedong in a video posted online. Several well-known Chinese brands have cut ties with Mbappé, saying he “hurts the sentiments of the Chinese people.” According to Agence France-Presse, there have been several examples of international sports stars angering China.
Agence France-Presse reports that Kylian Mbappe is the latest international athlete to face a backlash from the Chinese public and suffer financial losses for speaking out about politically sensitive issues. Below are some high-profile related incidents.
Former NBA star Dwight Howard once called Taiwan “one country” while filming a video with then-Taiwan Vice President Lai Ching-te in 2023.
Howard said in the video at the time: “Since coming to Taiwan, I have a whole new understanding of this country. This place makes me feel so full of love.”
The incident caused an uproar on Chinese social media, and Howard later told Taiwanese media that he had no intention of causing any harm.
In 2021, American professional wrestling star turned actor John Cena also referred to Taiwan as “a country” while promoting “Fast & Furious 9”.
After John Cena’s comments were criticized on the Chinese internet, he apologized in Chinese on the Chinese social platform Weibo.
In October 2019, Daryl Morey, then-general manager of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, expressed support for Hong Kong during the mass democratic protests in Hong Kong. China subsequently suspended sponsorship cooperation with the NBA and ordered Chinese state-owned television stations to suspend broadcasts of NBA games for one year.
Morey tweeted at the time: “Fight for freedom, support Hong Kong.” China has portrayed Hong Kong protesters as violent separatists and expressed dissatisfaction with what it considers “foreign interference”.
Chinese internet giant Tencent initially removed the Rockets games from its broadcast schedule, but later resumed broadcasting them.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said at the time that the dispute with China had cost the league “hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Former NBA Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter Freedom said in 2021 that “Tibet belongs to the Tibetan people.”
