Not just Mbappe! From Howard to Ozil, international sports figures face boycotts over China-related issues

French football superstar Kylian Mbappe has been terminated by major Chinese brands and accused of "hurting the feelings of the Chinese people" after a video that appeared to make fun of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong circulated online. He has become the latest international athlete to face public boycott and financial losses in China for commenting on politically sensitive topics.

The following are well-known cases in the sports world compiled by AFP:

Dwight Howard, an eight-time NBA All-Star, referred to Taiwan as a "country" when filming a promotional video with Taiwan's then Vice President and current President Lai Ching-te in 2023.

Howard said in the video at the time: "Since coming to Taiwan, I have a new understanding of this country. This place makes me feel full of love." After leaving the Los Angeles Lakers the previous year, Howard was playing for the Taiwanese team Taoyuan Clouded Leopards.

The incident caused an uproar on Chinese social media. Howard later told Taiwanese media that he had no intention of hurting anyone.

In addition, American wrestling star turned actor John Cena also called Taiwan a "country" when promoting the movie "Fast & Furious 9" in 2021. After triggering outcry from Chinese netizens, he issued an apology in fluent Chinese on the Chinese social platform Weibo.

In October 2019, Daryl Morey, then general manager of the NBA's Houston Rockets, expressed support during the outbreak of large-scale pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, which led to China suspending its sponsorship agreement with the NBA and state media CCTV also suspending broadcast of NBA games for a year.

Murray posted on Twitter (now renamed X) at the time: "Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong." China labels Hong Kong protesters as violent separatists and expresses dissatisfaction with what it calls "foreign interference." Chinese internet giant Tencent initially removed Houston Rockets games from its broadcast schedule, but later reinstated them as the controversy grew.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said the dispute with China has cost the league "hundreds of millions of dollars." The NBA will not return to the Chinese market until October 2025 through two preseason games in Macau.

Former NBA Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter Freedom declared in 2021 that "Tibet belongs to the Tibetan people." "I stand with my Tibetan brothers and sisters and I support their call for freedom," he posted on social media, attaching a photo of a pair of sneakers emblazoned with Tibetan totems and the slogan "Free Tibet." He also called Chinese President Xi Jinping a "brutal dictator" in the post.

The day after Kante made his comments, Tencent Sports pulled the Celtics game from its live broadcast list. When asked about Kanter's post, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded: "His ridiculous accusations are not worth refuting at all."

In 2019, then-Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil condemned China's crackdown on Muslim minorities in Xinjiang and criticized Muslim countries for failing to speak out against these alleged abuses.

Ozil tweeted in Turkish: "The Koran was burned...mosques were closed...Muslim schools were banned...religious scholars were killed one after another...brothers were forcibly sent to concentration camps."

Human rights groups and experts say more than 1 million Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic minorities have been imprisoned in Xinjiang and forced to assimilate into Han culture.

CCTV subsequently pulled Arsenal's match against Manchester City from its program, and Ozil was removed from the Chinese version of the popular mobile game Pro Evolution Soccer. Arsenal tried to distance themselves from Ozil's comments, while Chinese officials called his tweets "untrue" and said he was "blinded by fake news."