CCTV suspends La Liga broadcasts in China after Mbappe remarks about Mao

China’s state television has stopped broadcasting La Liga matches after comments by Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe about Mao Zedong, the founder of the People’s Republic of China.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that the first two La Liga matches scheduled this week were not shown on CCTV, the state broadcaster operated by China Media Group (CMG).

The decision meant viewers could not watch Villarreal’s meeting with Espanyol Barcelona on Friday evening, when Espanyol Barcelona won 1-0. Saturday afternoon’s match between Atletico Madrid and Levante was also absent from the channel, despite Diego Simeone’s side securing a 2-0 victory.

Unusual change to broadcasting arrangements

The move represents a departure from the usual coverage arrangements. La Liga had confirmed to AFP that CCTV normally broadcasts all of the competition’s matches live, according to Foot Mercato.

The Villarreal-Espanyol Barcelona fixture was still available on Migu, the streaming platform owned by China Mobile. The telecommunications operator is itself controlled by the Chinese state.

CCTV has not announced when its La Liga coverage will resume.

Commercial consequences for Mbappe

The suspension follows the publication, several days earlier, of a video in which Mbappe referred to a satirical image linking his face with that of Mao Zedong. The Real Madrid player described Mao as the “Chinese dictator”.

His comments prompted widespread controversy in China and led to a number of commercial consequences for the France captain. Early on Tuesday, three companies using his name and image announced that they were ending their contracts with him.

CCTV subsequently took the decision to halt its broadcasts of La Liga.

The measure extends beyond matches involving Real Madrid and currently covers the Spanish league as a whole. It remains unclear how long the suspension will continue, or whether other Chinese channels will carry on showing La Liga fixtures.

According to information reported by AFP, there has so far been no announcement from CCTV about a date for the return of live coverage.