FC Online China Removes Mbappé Promo Material and Plans a Game Update

The Chinese operations team for the football game FC Online has started removing Kylian Mbappé material from outside channels. It says an in-game adjustment will follow in a future version update, Inven Global reported.

Mbappé is a Real Madrid forward and French international.

The team posted its statement on the game's official website on October 27. It said it firmly opposes speech or behaviour that hurts the feelings of the Chinese people. It will announce the update schedule once development is finished.

What the Chinese Announcement Covers

The statement does not name the player or say how the game will change. Inven Global noted that players are watching for three possible measures. These are limits on creating new player cards, deletion of cards players already own, and restrictions on card trading.

None of those has been confirmed. The only confirmed scope is the removal of external materials and the promised update.

dailysports.net reported along the same lines, saying FC Online China had pulled promotional content featuring Mbappé. It added that the exact nature of any further changes has not been independently confirmed.

Nor is there a verified announcement that Mbappé is being removed as a playable footballer.

Korean Service Still Runs a Mbappé Pack

The Chinese announcement did not address other regions, including the South Korean service. On that service, publisher Nexon announced a Ballon d'Or celebration log-in event on October 27. Its rewards include a 26TOTS Mbappé +8 to +10 Player Pack.

The event runs from 6:00 PM on October 27 to 11:59 PM on October 28, per Inven Global.

How the Dispute Started

The backlash followed a clip from the French programme The Bridge. In it, Mbappé discussed a meme that put his face on Mao Zedong, the late founding leader of the People's Republic of China.

CNBC said Reuters reported Mbappé describing the figure as a "Chinese dictator". Reuters said it could not independently authenticate the video.

Mbappé apologised in Chinese, French and English on X on October 27. He said his comments were ill-judged and had hurt many Chinese communities around the world. LaLiga also issued a statement expressing regret to Chinese fans.

It said his personal views do not represent the league.

Sponsors and Broadcasters Pull Back

Dongpeng Beverage, Mengniu and Milkground have announced the end of their partnerships with Mbappé, CNBC reported, citing company statements compiled by the state-run portal China.org.cn. Dongpeng's Bushuila sports drink brand had unveiled him as its ambassador only in April.

The brands On and Dior have reportedly removed Chinese promotional content featuring him. Neither has announced a global termination.

CNBC said state broadcaster CCTV suspended LaLiga coverage and matches involving Mbappé. It also pulled advertisements in which he appeared. A China Media Group representative then urged Mbappé, Real Madrid and LaLiga to learn from the incident.

"We will listen to his words, but watch his actions even more closely," the representative said, according to CNBC.

Mbappé's accounts on Xiaohongshu and Weibo were also muted, according to Renmin Ruiping, the online commentary platform of People's Daily.

As of October 28, CNBC could not independently confirm that either the broadcasts had resumed or the account restrictions had been lifted.

The post FC Online China Removes Mbappé Promo Material and Plans a Game Update appeared first on Stevivor.