China’s national broadcaster, China Central Television (CCTV), maintained its blackout of Spanish La Liga matches on Sunday, refusing to air Real Madrid’s 3-0 victory over Racing Santander despite an official apology from French international striker Kylian Mbappé.
The media dispute, managed by parent company China Media Group (CMG), began after Mbappé made controversial comments during an appearance on the French talk show The Bridge.
The forward reportedly shared that a meme featuring his face superimposed over an image resembling late Chinese leader Mao Zedong made him laugh.
The remarks sparked intense outrage across mainland China, where Mao remains a central and politically sensitive historic figure.
Although Mbappé issued a public apology admitting his comments were ill-judged, and both Real Madrid and La Liga submitted formal statements, CMG has refused to restore broadcast rights.
The fallout has also extended to commercial endorsements, with several major Chinese brands dropping Mbappé from promotional campaigns across Asia.
The standoff echoes previous broadcast suspensions in China, such as CCTV’s year-long NBA blackout in 2019 following comments by former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey regarding Hong Kong.
"His remarks sparked anger across China... While CMG acknowledged the official apologies, it has yet to announce when La Liga coverage will resume." — Foreign Broadcast Summary
#KylianMbappe #RealMadrid #CCTV #LaLiga #ChinaMedia #MaoZedong #GlobalSports #QubesSports
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