Chinese Real Madrid Broadcast Blackout Persists After Mbappe Mao Row

State broadcaster CCTV did not broadcast the Spanish top-flight match between Real Madrid and Racing Santander on Sunday, continuing a broadcast freeze on the club. The decision to pull the Chinese Real Madrid broadcast follows intense backlash over comments made by star forward Kylian Mbappe concerning China's former leader Mao Zedong. The fixture, which began at 15:15 GMT, was omitted from both of CCTV's dedicated sports channels.

Matchweek 11 of La Liga has seen none of its fixtures aired live on China's public television network so far. The suspension began on October 26, when China Media Group (CMG), the state body administering CCTV, halted coverage of the Spanish competition. CMG previously declared that official apologies from the league, Real Madrid, and Mbappe were an absolute prerequisite before moving past the controversy.

The dispute follows an April video that recently spread online, showing Mbappe remarking that the funniest meme he had seen of himself was his face photoshopped onto that of "some guy. I think he's a Chinese dictator." The image was an apparent reference to Mao, who died in 1976 and whose policies are blamed by historians for mass starvation and millions of deaths. Cracking jokes about the former leader remains deeply taboo in China.

Real Madrid's league fixture was dropped from Chinese state television despite apologies over Kylian Mbappe's Mao comments.

Chinese Real Madrid broadcast blackout continues

Following the outcry, several major Chinese commercial brands cancelled sponsorship deals with Mbappe. The French international subsequently apologised for what he termed "ill-judged" remarks. Real Madrid and La Liga also issued formal apologies, with the league expressing deep regret. Although China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it took the forward's apology seriously, and CCTV's sports website noted that CMG acknowledged the apologies, it remains unclear whether discussions to resolve the dispute have officially started.

Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho stated on Saturday that the club had done its part to move past the situation. In domestic streaming, La Liga matches were carried on Migu, a digital service operated by the state-owned China Mobile telecommunications network, which aired Barcelona's 6-1 victory over Alaves on Saturday. However, the game between Real Madrid and Racing Santander did not appear to be shown on the platform. La Liga had not responded to requests for comment by the time of publication.

Why it matters

The ongoing blackout highlights the vulnerabilities overseas sports organisations encounter when navigating commercial interests in China, which represents a massive market for European football. While CCTV continues to broadcast matches from England's Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga, France's Ligue 1, and Italy's Serie A, La Liga's visibility in the country has been severely curtailed.

The standoff mirrors previous disputes over sensitive topics, such as China cutting ties with the NBA for several years after a team executive tweeted support for Hong Kong protesters in 2019. The episode illustrates how remarks touching on Chinese political figures can rapidly jeopardize lucrative media distribution and sponsorship agreements.