China Follows Through on Threats, 'Erasing' Real Madrid and Mbappe

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV did not air a single La Liga match on Saturday, according to Marca, citing news agency EFE. Broadcasts of the Spanish top flight were halted earlier in the week following comments made by star forward Kylian Mbappe regarding a meme featuring the likeness of communist leader Mao Zedong. Meanwhile, digital streaming platform Migu broadcast most of the weekend fixtures, but completely excluded Real Madrid.

Reports indicate that matches from Friday and Saturday — including Villarreal vs. Espanyol, Levante vs. Atletico Madrid, Rayo Vallecano vs. Celta Vigo, Betis vs. Malaga, and Barcelona vs. Alaves — were entirely absent from the state channel's official television schedule. The same blackout affected matches scheduled for Sunday and Monday: Getafe vs. Sevilla, Racing Santander vs. Real Madrid, Elche vs. Valencia, Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Sociedad, and Deportivo La Coruna vs. Osasuna.

On CCTV's mobile app, select matches from prior to the ban remain accessible, the most recent being Celta Vigo against Betis from October 25. Although the network typically broadcasts one or two matches per round, all content featuring Real Madrid from the entire current season has been completely scrubbed from its library.

Streaming platform Migu, which holds exclusive digital rights to La Liga in the Chinese market through the 2029/30 season, retained almost its entire weekend schedule with one notable exception — Real Madrid's trip to Racing Santander was pulled from the lineup.

An investigation by EFE revealed that Migu has also deleted Madrid's earlier matches from August and September. While archival results, match highlights, and full-game replays for all other Spanish sides remain freely available, Los Blancos have been thoroughly erased from the platform. Early in the controversy, social media users also noticed that video clips of Mbappe's goals from the most recent derby against Barcelona had been taken down from the app.

The fallout began after Mbappe revealed in a television interview that one of his favourite online memes featured his face superimposed onto that of a "Chinese dictator," referencing the image of Mao Zedong without explicitly naming him.

The backlash in Asia was immediate. Several Chinese corporations terminated their endorsement deals with the player, while state television enacted a blanket ban on Real Madrid matches, coverage of the French forward, and any commercials featuring him.

The France international issued an apology in French, English, and Chinese. La Liga executives also expressed their regret over the incident, with league president Javier Tebas sending an official letter to China Media Group (CMG), the state conglomerate running the broadcaster.

CMG confirmed receipt of the statements from La Liga and Real Madrid, in which the club reiterated its profound respect for China. Nonetheless, Chinese media authorities have yet to indicate when the broadcast blackout will be lifted, while the country's Foreign Ministry has so far declined to comment on the duration of the sanctions.