China state broadcaster pulls Real Madrid match over Mbappé joke
China Media Group, which acknowledged Mbappé's apology, has not said how long the blackout will last.
China’s state broadcaster CCTV did not show Real Madrid’s match on Sunday, even after star striker Kylian Mbappé apologised for his “ill-judged” comments about the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
Mbappé faced intense criticism after saying the meme “that makes [him] laugh the most” was the one showing his face placed over a “Chinese dictator” resembling Mao.
China’s foreign ministry said it took Mbappé’s apology “seriously”. Real Madrid and La Liga have also apologised.
Earlier, China Media Group had called for apologies from all three parties, saying they were “an absolute prerequisite” for moving past the incident.
Mbappé, who reportedly made the remark about the meme on French talk show The Bridge, apologised later on Tuesday.
“My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” he had said.
The joke was badly received in China, where Mao is honoured by the Communist Party despite overseeing one of the darkest periods in the country’s history.
Mao, who led the Chinese Communist Party to victory in the civil war and founded the People’s Republic of China, died in 1976.
Under his rule, he oversaw the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, which caused a famine that killed tens of millions and triggered violent purges across Chinese society.
This is not the first time Beijing has halted sports broadcasts over political sensitivities.
It stopped airing NBA games for a year from October 2019 after Daryl Morey, the Houston Rockets general manager, tweeted support for Hong Kong protesters during the city’s widespread pro-democracy demonstrations.
Morey later walked back his remarks after heavy criticism from Chinese fans, sponsors and commercial partners.
“I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives,” Morey later wrote.
“I have always appreciated the significant support our Chinese fans and sponsors...I would hope that those who are upset will know that offending or misunderstanding them was not my intention.”
Real Madrid won Sunday’s match 3-0 against Racing Santander, with goals from Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomande.