Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe reacts during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Racing de Santander and Real Madrid in Santander, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026.
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China has followed through on its threat. State broadcaster CCTV did not air the first two La Liga matches of the weekend after Kylian Mbappé’s remarks about Mao Zedong.
Friday’s match between Villarreal and Espanyol was missing from CCTV’s schedule. It remained available on Migu, a streaming platform linked to state-owned China Mobile. The Real Madrid match, scheduled for Sunday, was later removed from the platform.
On Saturday, CCTV also did not air Atlético Madrid’s match against Levante. La Liga told AFP that its matches had previously been broadcast live in China.
The controversy began with a video in which Mbappé referred to memes comparing him to a “Chinese dictator,” in reference to Mao. La Liga criticised his remarks, and the French forward apologised. Beijing said it was taking the matter “seriously.”
China’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it took Mbappé’s apology “seriously” but it remained to be seen whether it would help him regain the brand deals or other businesses he lost Tuesday.
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