Chinese state TV fails to air Real Madrid match after Mbappe row

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV did not broadcast a Real Madrid La Liga match on Sunday after star forward Kylian Mbappe caused a furore in China with remarks he made about former leader Mao Zedong.

The match between Real Madrid and Racing Santander began at 1515 GMT but was not broadcast on either of CCTV's two sports channels, per AFP

None of the other matches from the 11th round of La Liga have been broadcast live on public television so far.

What sparked the controversy?

The controversy began after a video circulated online showing Mbappe discussing an internet meme featuring his face superimposed onto an image of Mao Zedong.

The French forward described the person in the image as "some guy, I think he's a Chinese dictator," without explicitly naming Mao.

Mao, who led the Chinese Communist Revolution and founded the People's Republic of China in 1949, ruled the country until his death in 1976.

While he remains an officially revered figure in China, public mockery of his image is considered socially sensitive.

The remarks prompted several Chinese companies, including dairy producers Mengniu and Shanghai Milkground Food Tech, as well as beverage company Eastroc, to end their commercial partnerships with Mbappe.

Apologies fail to immediately restore broadcasts

Mbappe apologised in French, Chinese and English, describing his comments as "ill-judged" and saying he understood that they had hurt people in China and Chinese communities around the world.

Real Madrid and La Liga also issued apologies, while La Liga president Javier Tebas contacted China Media Group (CMG), the state-owned organisation responsible for CCTV, to address the fallout.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing took Mbappe's apology seriously, but Chinese authorities have not announced whether the broadcasting restrictions will be lifted.

The controversy has raised concerns about the potential financial impact on Spanish football in China, a major international market for the sport.

According to AFP, international broadcasting rights for La Liga were valued at 748 million euros ($834 million) for the 2024-25 season, with China and the United States accounting for the majority of international broadcasting revenue.

A previous dispute involving the NBA

The latest controversy has drawn comparisons with China's 2019 dispute with the NBA after then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey expressed support for Hong Kong protesters in a social media post.

China subsequently removed NBA games from CCTV broadcasts for more than a year. NBA commissioner Adam Silver later said the dispute cost the league hundreds of millions of dollars.

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho said on Saturday that the club and Mbappe had responded appropriately to the controversy, adding that both had acted responsibly in issuing apologies.