Key Points
・According to the Beijing Daily’s October 28, 2026 report, China Media Group stopped broadcasts of matches involving La Liga and Kylian Mbappé from the night of October 26, after he joked about a meme putting his face on what appears to be a portrait of Mao Zedong, and three Chinese companies ended their deals with him.
・In the same week, Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty, ended its collaboration with the TBS drama VIVANT, including goods that Kyodo News reported were sold only in Japan.
・Leagues and companies with revenue in China acted on how Chinese consumers and state media received the remark and the tie-up, and those decisions reached speech and products made outside China.
Chinese State TV Halts La Liga, and Sanrio Ends a Drama Tie-Up
A clip of Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé talking about a meme drew criticism in China. It came from a backstage interview with the French-language talk show The Bridge, which posted the clip on October 26; ABC News reported that it was recorded in April.
Asked about the meme that made him laugh most, Mbappé described an image putting his face on the body of “a guy, I think he’s a Chinese dictator,” and said he used it often with friends. Reports say he did not say Mao’s name.
According to the Beijing Daily, people at China Media Group (CMG), which runs the state broadcaster CCTV, said it fully stopped broadcasting matches involving La Liga and Mbappé from the night of October 26 and pulled related advertising. On October 27, the beverage maker Dongpeng announced it was ending its cooperation with him immediately, and the dairy companies Mengniu and Milkground also ended their partnerships.
On October 27, Mbappé issued an apology in French, Chinese and English, calling his comment “ill-judged.” La Liga and its president, Javier Tebas, apologized to Chinese fans the same day, saying the comments were made in a personal capacity and do not represent the league.
CMG made public apologies from the league, the club and the player a precondition for talks, and Real Madrid apologized to the Chinese people on October 28. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the same day that China “takes seriously” the apology. As of November 1, a resumption of the broadcasts had not been confirmed.
In the same week, Sanrio ended its collaboration with VIVANT, a TBS drama. Its China subsidiary announced the decision on the social platform Weibo on the night of October 28, and the Japanese parent company said on October 29 that related content contained “expressions inconsistent with our corporate philosophy” and that it was halting all activities, future plans and promotions. According to Kyodo News, the collaboration goods were sold only in Japan.
The drama’s second season includes a scene in which a Chinese intelligence organization tortures a Japanese operative, which Chinese state media such as the Global Times criticized. TBS’s president said on October 28 that the show is fiction with no intention of disparaging any particular country.
Related Articles
How Mao Is Viewed in China and Who Reacted
Why calling Mao a “dictator” lands so hard in China
Mao Zedong is the Communist Party leader who founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The Cultural Revolution he launched late in life brought years of turmoil and heavy loss of life.
In its 1981 “Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party since the Founding of the People’s Republic,” the Communist Party called the Cultural Revolution a period of turmoil “wrongly launched by a leader.” It still judged Mao himself this way: his merits come first and his errors second.
So even though the party itself acknowledges his mistakes, his official standing as the founder remains intact. When a famous foreigner calls him a “dictator,” it is easily received as an insult to the nation’s founding, not just a verdict on one man.
What Mbappé said, and how the clip spread
The clip came from a backstage interview that The Bridge, a French-language talk show, recorded in April. The show posted it on October 26, removed it from its social accounts after criticism grew, and apologized on October 28 to Mbappé and others affected, according to ABC News.
The image Mbappé mentioned put his face on the body of a figure who appears to be Mao, and its creator said it was made with AI. Mbappé only said “a Chinese dictator, I think,” without naming anyone, but Chinese-language reports, including a Central News Agency report, described him as saying his favorite meme was his face on Mao.
Four different actors moved
Four groups reacted to Mbappé: Chinese social media users who criticized him, CMG, which stopped the broadcasts, the Chinese Foreign Ministry, which commented at briefings, and the Chinese companies that ended their deals.
Dongpeng had made Mbappé an ambassador for an electrolyte drink only in April. Guo Jiakun said on October 27 that words that hurt the feelings of Chinese people would meet unanimous rejection from all sectors of Chinese society, and the next day said China takes his apology seriously.
Each of the four made its own announcement. The statements and reports available do not show whether the government directed them as a group.
What drew criticism of VIVANT
VIVANT is a TBS drama whose hero is an operative of “Beppan,” an unofficial unit of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces. In the second season, a scene showing a Chinese intelligence organization cutting off a Japanese operative’s finger aired, and the Global Times ran a critical article on October 26.
The Global Times also took aim at the Sanrio tie-up, arguing that “Hello Kitty should not dance with Japan’s right wing.” According to Kyodo News, a deputy spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry also said that forces in Japan were trying to spread anti-China sentiment through cultural products.
Three different kinds of reaction overlap here: viewers who find the torture scene offensive, a historical argument linking the work to “Japan’s right wing,” and a company’s decision to end the tie-up.
Why Overseas Remarks and Products Get Pulled
Companies cut ties without waiting for instructions
Dongpeng signed Mbappé in April and announced the immediate end of its cooperation the day after criticism spread. When a brand’s ambassador is criticized by consumers in its main market, keeping him risks drawing that criticism onto the company. None of the companies explained their reasons in detail, but there are clear incentives for a company to move quickly.
The broadcast halt is different in kind. CMG reportedly told La Liga that public apologies were a precondition for talks, which turned the broadcasts themselves into leverage. Broadcast rights are a commercial deal, but when the other party is a state broadcaster, national prestige is part of the decision.
Fans who feel their country’s founder was called a “dictator” by a foreign star may well be offended, and a brand that adjusts to its customers is making a decision that could happen in any market. What stands out here is that the remark was made backstage on a French-language show and was not addressed to Chinese fans.
How did the NBA’s 2019 response differ from La Liga’s?
In 2019, after a Houston Rockets executive posted support for the Hong Kong protests, CCTV dropped NBA broadcasts. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver then said, in an October 8, 2019 statement, that the league would not put itself in a position of regulating what players, employees and team owners say.
La Liga, like the NBA, separated the remark from the league by calling it a personal view. The difference is that La Liga then apologized on behalf of the league and its clubs and promised an awareness and communication protocol with clubs and players.
Neither league has explained where the difference comes from, and the remarks themselves were very different: support for a protest movement versus small talk about a meme. If, as reported, the broadcast halt covers all La Liga matches, clubs with no connection to Mbappé bear the impact of one player’s words, which is one reason a league might want a quick resolution.
Why Sanrio pulled a product sold only in Japan
The collaboration goods were sold only in Japan, yet the criticism came from Chinese media and social media, and Sanrio’s China subsidiary announced the end first. Even when sales are limited to Japan, the judgment of the product reached beyond where it was sold.
The Japanese parent’s notice did not mention China and cited only “expressions inconsistent with our corporate philosophy.” The wording can be read as avoiding saying either that it bowed to pressure or that it rejected the work itself.
There is another view: a partner’s content is part of a company’s own brand, and adjusting to the market with the most customers is an ordinary business decision. Discomfort with the depiction, the historical argument about “Japan’s right wing” and the company’s decision each move for different reasons, and none of them alone explains the outcome.
How reviews of future products and remarks may change
Sanrio said it would further strengthen its review system for future collaborations, and La Liga promised a protocol with players and clubs. Both point toward checking products and remarks more carefully in advance.
Those checks are likely to include how products and remarks made outside China will be received in China. If that reaches Japan-only goods and backstage small talk, companies and players may hold back more often before anyone objects.
As of November 1, it was not known when the broadcasts will resume or whether other sponsors or clubs will follow.
Japanese Reactions to Sanrio Ending the VIVANT Tie-Up
The posts below are Japanese-language posts on X from October 29 and 30 about Sanrio ending the collaboration, not about Mbappé. They are posts we checked on X, not a measure of opinion in Japan. Four of them support ending the tie-up, question how it began or worry about orders already placed; the last, from an account that X labels as a parody account, criticizes the decision as giving in to pressure from China. The translations keep each author’s own views and predictions.
A user named naka wrote:
そもそもサンリオがVIVANTとコラボするのがどうかしている。創業者の理念を何も継承してないんじゃないの？ https://t.co/2t5PFdcDbn
— naka (@W3lotte) October 29, 2026
Sanrio collaborating with VIVANT in the first place was crazy. Haven’t they inherited anything at all from the founder’s philosophy? (translated)
A user named 成れの果て wrote:
対応は妥当。他のスポンサーも続くかもしれない
— 成れの果て (@narenohatex) October 29, 2026
とはいえ、企画段階で分かったろ、とは思う
The response is reasonable. Other sponsors may follow.
That said, I do think they could have figured this out at the planning stage. (translated)
A user named くぅと wrote:
VIVANT × サンリオ
— くぅと (@k_u__t_o) October 29, 2026
注文した分は間違いなく届きますよね😭
VIVANT × Sanrio
The items I ordered will definitely still arrive, right? 😭 (translated)
A user named 山崎 雅弘 wrote:
サンリオ本社が、TBS「VIVANT」とのコラボ中止を発表。契約関係など難しい問題はあったかと思いますが、日本国内の公益に照らしても、平和と友愛を希求する創業者さんの理念に照らしても、正しい判断だと思います。他のコラボ企業も、この声明を読んで行動を判断すべきです。https://t.co/IYRdXWmXSD
— 山崎 雅弘 (@mas__yamazaki) October 30, 2026
Sanrio headquarters has announced it is ending its collaboration with TBS’s “VIVANT.” I imagine there were difficult issues such as contractual relationships, but I think it is the right decision, both in light of the public interest within Japan and in light of the founder’s philosophy of seeking peace and friendship. Other companies in collaborations should read this statement and decide how to act. (translated)
A user named ふみ, whose account X labels as a parody account, wrote:
これ何が駄目かってサンリオは最初はVIVANTのコラボに問題無しで展開していたのに、中国側からの圧力、批判に屈した形で止めたことで前例を作ったことなんですよ。ある意味エムバペと同じケースで非常に禍根を残すでしょうね。 https://t.co/TURgZx2qkg
— ふみ (@2ylEI5LSl1wjKxQ) October 29, 2026
What’s wrong here is that Sanrio first rolled out the VIVANT collaboration seeing no problem with it, and then stopped it in a way that amounted to giving in to pressure and criticism from the Chinese side, which set a precedent. In a sense it’s the same kind of case as Mbappé, and it will probably leave lasting resentment. (translated)
The Market Behind a Joke and a Tie-Up
How far should consideration for one market reach overseas?
Within days of criticism spreading in China, the state broadcaster stopped broadcasting matches involving La Liga and Mbappé, three Chinese companies ended their deals, and Sanrio ended a collaboration that included goods sold only in Japan. As far as can be confirmed, each was a decision announced in its own name by an organization with revenue or business in China, in light of how Chinese consumers and state media received it.
Paying attention to customers’ feelings is part of doing business in any market. For companies and leagues operating in a large market, quickly reconsidering an ambassador or product criticized there is a rational business decision. Yet if remarks and products made outside that market come to be checked by the same standard, the room for expression abroad is affected as well.
Where to draw the line between consideration for a market and freedom of expression outside it is a question not only for leagues and companies, but also for the people who enjoy their products and sports.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did China stop broadcasting La Liga?
People at China Media Group said, according to the Beijing Daily’s October 28, 2026 report, that it stopped broadcasting matches involving La Liga and Kylian Mbappé from October 26 after he joked about a meme putting his face on what appears to be Mao Zedong. CMG made public apologies from La Liga, Real Madrid and Mbappé a precondition for talks, and a resumption had not been confirmed as of November 1.
Did Mbappé call Mao Zedong a dictator by name?
No. According to ABC News and AFP, Mbappé described the image as showing “a guy, I think he’s a Chinese dictator,” without naming Mao, though the image appears to show Mao and Chinese-language reports described it as a Mao meme. He apologized on October 27, calling the comment “ill-judged.”
Why did Sanrio end its collaboration with VIVANT?
Sanrio’s October 29, 2026 notice said related content contained expressions inconsistent with its corporate philosophy, and it did not mention China. The decision came after Chinese state media criticized the drama’s torture scene and the tie-up, and Kyodo News reported that the goods had been sold only in Japan.
How did Japanese social media react to Sanrio ending the VIVANT tie-up?
In the five Japanese-language posts on X that we checked, dated October 29 and 30, one user said the collaboration should never have started, one called the response reasonable but said the problem should have been caught at the planning stage, one buyer worried whether ordered goods would still arrive, and one called it the right decision in light of the founder’s philosophy. An account that X labels as a parody account criticized the decision as giving in to Chinese pressure and setting a precedent. The posts are not a measure of opinion in Japan.
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We publish video summaries of articles like this one, along with short clips built around Japanese reactions.
Reference Links
- Chinese sponsors cut ties with Kylian Mbappé after Mao meme backlash | ABC News
- 央视回应姆巴佩道歉：听其言更观其行，希望西甲、皇马和姆巴佩本人吸取教训 | Beijing Daily
- LALIGA and its President, Javier Tebas, apologise to Chinese fans | LALIGA
- China says it takes Mbappe’s apology ‘seriously’ after Mao dictator comment | Al Jazeera
- VIVANT × Sanrio Characters collaboration end notice | Sanrio
- 中国の批判受け、サンリオ謝罪 ＶＩＶＡＮＴコラボ企画で | Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun (Kyodo News)
- Sanrio Cuts Ties With Vivant Amid China Backlash | Tokyo Weekender
- Adam Silver’s statement on NBA and China | NBA
