Chinese brands drop French soccer star Mbappé over Mao 'dictator' joke

From TV ads to convenience stores, French soccer star Kylian Mbappé is everywhere in China. But now the Real Madrid forward is paying a penalty in one of the world's biggest markets. In a video interview circulating online, Mbappé, nicknamed the dictator by some in the sport, says the funniest meme he's seen of himself is, quote, The one where they put my face on a Chinese dictator, an apparent reference to the founder of communist China, Mao Zedong. The backlash was swift. At least three Chinese companies cut ties, including energy drink giant Dongpeng, announcing on Chinese social media they have zero tolerance for any behavior that hurts national sentiment. China's foreign ministry also saying offensive words and actions will be rejected by all sectors of Chinese society. On Tuesday, Mbappé issued an apology calling his comment ill-judged. The Spanish league in which he plays distanced itself. These remarks do not represent La Liga, it said. China has a very unique culture and also have a unique mindset. So when they try to collaborate with Chinese friends, they need to be aware of those things. In China, jokes about leaders past and present are socially taboo, as are political issues. That's reflected in comments online and on the street. I used to really like watching him, he says, but I really didn't like what he said. There is that belief, a attack or criticism of the leaders. It is really an attack of the people and of the culture and of the country. La Liga has promised to implement an awareness and communication protocol to promote respect and prevent similar occurrences in the future. Even so, China's state broadcaster has suspended all of La Liga's games and pulled Mbappe's commercials. Lisa Cheng, CBC News, Toronto.