# Mbappé’s China ‘own goal’: Why did a Mao joke provoke outrage?

https://mins.news/en/item/125439

- BBC Chinese, 2026-11-02 12:27 UTC
- World
- Original: https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/watch/c6gr87wj8dr9o/trad?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

> Kylian Mbappé indirectly and jokingly referred in an interview to a meme about Mao Zedong, calling him a “dictator.” The remarks triggered a backlash in China: sponsors distanced themselves from Mbappé, state media stopped airing La Liga, and Mbappé, his club and the league apologized.

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