CCTV keeps La Liga off air despite Mbappé apology over Mao joke

China's state broadcaster CCTV did not televise Real Madrid's match on Sunday, November 1, despite an apology from striker Kylian Mbappé over a joke involving the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong. The decision followed a suspension of Spanish La Liga broadcasts announced by CCTV's parent organisation, China Media Group.

The controversy began after Mbappé reportedly discussed the meme on the French talk show The Bridge. He described his favourite meme as an image placing his face over that of a Chinese dictator resembling Mao. His remarks prompted a strong backlash in China, and several Chinese brands subsequently dropped him.

China Media Group announced the broadcast suspension last Tuesday and demanded apologies from Mbappé, Real Madrid and La Liga. It described those apologies as a necessary condition for moving beyond the dispute. All three have since apologised, but the broadcaster has given no indication of when coverage of the league might resume.

Mbappé issued his apology later that Tuesday, acknowledging the reaction to his comments. “My comment was ill-judged,” he said, adding that he understood it had caused hurt among people in China and Chinese communities elsewhere in the world. China's foreign ministry said it took his apology seriously, while China Media Group also acknowledged the apologies.

Mao remains a revered figure within China's Communist Party, although his rule encompassed some of the deadliest events in the country's history. He led the party to victory in the civil war, established the People's Republic of China and died in 1976.

His time in power included the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. Those campaigns brought a famine that killed tens of millions of people and violent purges that spread through Chinese society.

The dispute follows an earlier interruption of international sports coverage over a politically sensitive issue. NBA broadcasts were halted for a year beginning in October 2019 after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey posted support for Hong Kong protesters during the city's widespread pro-democracy demonstrations.

Morey later stepped back from his remarks following criticism from Chinese supporters, sponsors and commercial partners. He said he had considered other perspectives and had not intended to offend or misunderstand Chinese fans and sponsors.

With CCTV's suspension still in place, Real Madrid defeated Racing Santander 3-0 on Sunday. Mbappé was among the scorers, alongside Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomande.