Real Madrid's 3-0 Win at Racing Santander Not Shown on CCTV or Migu in China as Mbappé Blackout Continues

Since China Media Group suspended La Liga broadcasts on Oct. 26 over Kylian Mbappé's remark about Mao Zedong, the apologies Beijing demanded have been delivered. The screens have stayed dark for Real Madrid.

On Sunday, Nov. 1, Madrid beat Racing Santander 3-0 on goals from Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomande. Neither of CCTV's two sports channels aired it. It also did not appear on Migu, the streaming service owned by state-run China Mobile that holds La Liga's mainland rights, according to Bloomberg.

Other matches that day stayed available on Migu. Barcelona's 6-1 win over Alaves on Saturday was shown there. No Chinese broadcaster has said why Madrid's game was left out.

What Mbappé said and what Beijing demanded

The trigger was a clip from the French podcast The Bridge, recorded in April, that went viral in late October. Mbappé said the funniest meme about himself showed his face on "some guy. I think he's a Chinese dictator." The image was widely understood to be Mao.

China Media Group, which oversees CCTV, suspended La Liga broadcasts. It said apologies from Mbappé, Real Madrid and La Liga were "an absolute prerequisite" for moving past the incident.

Mbappé apologized Tuesday, Oct. 27. "My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world," he said. Real Madrid followed with an apology to the Chinese people. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it took the player's apology "seriously."

China Media Group has acknowledged the apologies. It has not said how long the blackout will last, and CCTV has said Mbappé would be judged by his actions.

The commercial damage

Sponsors moved fast. Beverage maker Dongpeng ended its contract with Mbappé, citing a zero-tolerance policy toward behavior that offends national sentiment. Dairy company Mengniu ended its deal too, and the cheese brand Milkground followed. Le Monde put the combined value of the Dongpeng and Mengniu contracts at about 50 million yuan, roughly €6.7 million.

Mbappé's account on Rednote, the Chinese social platform, carried a notice on Oct. 28 saying it had been muted for violating community guidelines. AFP photographed it.

Chinese media condemned the remark without repeating it, and the clip was scrubbed from Chinese platforms. Users are still discussing it in code, according to the newsletter Eye on Digital China. One wrote: "Just look at a renminbi banknote and you'll understand," a reference to Mao's portrait on the currency.

Why Beijing treats Mao as untouchable

Mao founded the People's Republic and died in 1976. The Communist Party still reveres him. His rule included the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, which brought a famine that killed tens of millions and violent purges across Chinese society, according to the BBC.

The Chinese government's position, as stated by the broadcaster and the Foreign Ministry, is that the insult caused real offense and that apologies are required. A sports league and a footballer are being held to that standard in the world's largest television market.

There is precedent for a long freeze. Beijing pulled NBA games for a year starting in October 2019 after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted support for Hong Kong protesters. Morey backtracked afterward, writing that offending Chinese fans was not his intention. The games stayed off the air regardless.

La Liga's position

League president Javier Tebas wrote personally to China Media Group and met China's ambassador to Spain to look for a solution, according to Reuters. Reuters also reported that he is considering a trip to China. La Liga calls China a strategic partner.

Al Jazeera said it asked La Liga for comment and had received no response by publication.

The conditions Beijing set publicly have been met, and the blackout continues. Whether CCTV and Migu restore Real Madrid, and when, now depends on a decision China Media Group has not announced. Tebas's possible trip is the one concrete step on the table.