LaLiga breaks with Mbappé after Mao Zedong meme and loses sponsors

The meme of Kylian Mbappé that compared a “Chinese dictator” to Mao Zedong has triggered a wave of reprisals: three sponsors have cancelled their agreements, Chinese state television has suspended the broadcast of LaLiga and president Javier Tebas has apologized to China to protect the competition's interests.

Sponsors and advertising

Mbappé's face appeared on energy drink bottles, buses and elevators, and also in the Ballon d'Or ranking, according to Europa Press. After the meme, three sponsors announced the termination of their contracts, removing the forward's image from their advertising campaigns. The removal of his face from advertising highlights how quickly the controversy turned into economic losses for the player.

Neither Mbappé himself nor the competition's organization offered a public defence of the footballer against the ban imposed by China. The lack of official support shows that LaLiga prioritises protecting its commercial relationships over defending the individual player.

State television and digital platforms

CCTV stopped broadcasting content linked to LaLiga and Mbappé from Monday night, also removing the advertisements. China Media Group, the parent company of the channel, demanded apologies to the footballer and Real Madrid, and after the request, issued a statement that took note of the declarations and warned Spanish football. Additionally, Chinese digital platforms restricted accounts related to the competition, limiting its market presence.

Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, wrote: “We cannot allow an individual action to tarnish that relationship”. The president also highlighted that the dispute could affect between €400 million and €500 million in revenue committed by television agreements with China for this season and the next three.

Javier Tebas tries to mend Mbappé's controversy with China

In August, LaLiga had announced its new audiovisual contract with China Mobile Migu, presenting Mbappé as one of its major stars. The agreement, valid from 2026/27 to 2029/30, includes the broadcast of 380 league matches per year and complementary content, and the digital licence generates between €400 million and €500 million, which according to the statements have not been affected by the crisis.

CCTV maintains a separate partnership, formalised with China Media Group in September 2024 during a Spanish institutional visit to Beijing. The suspension of the broadcast does not equate to the total disappearance of the competition, as some weekend matches remain scheduled on the channel's digital platform.

LaLiga is also drafting, together with clubs and players, a sensitivity and communication protocol to prevent similar incidents in the future. The official statement underscored that Mbappé's comments were made in a personal capacity and do not represent LaLiga, reflecting a hierarchy of priorities that places the relationship with authorities and audiovisual partners above support for the player.

Mbappé triumphs in El Clasico and the China controversy shakes LaLiga

The irony lies in the fact that, while in August the competition used Mbappé's image to boost its expansion in China, it now distances itself from the forward to protect revenue and the bilateral relationship, revealing the preeminence of commercial interests over individual defence within Spanish football.