China confirms it will not broadcast LaLiga and says it takes Mbappé's apology for his comments about Mao 'seriously'
Chinese state television suspended broadcasts of Spanish soccer matches and commercials featuring the French forward. Beijing considers apologies from the player, LaLiga, and Real Madrid to be an essential prerequisite for resolving the controversy.
China confirmed the suspension of LaLiga broadcasts on state television and demanded apologies from Real Madrid, the Spanish league, and French forward Kylian Mbappé for the player's comments about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, which sparked controversy on the country's social media platforms.
China Media Group (CMG), the state-owned conglomerate that oversees the public broadcaster CCTV, announced Tuesday that it had suspended the broadcast of Spanish league matches, as well as commercials featuring the French player.
The state-run group stated that the apologies from LaLiga, Mbappé, and Real Madrid were "an indispensable requirement" and warned that nothing would be discussed until they were received.
Mbappé posted an apology on Tuesday in which he described his comments about Mao as "unfortunate." The captain of the French national team acknowledged that his words had hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world.
"My comment was ill-judged and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world. I apologise to everyone my words have upset," the forward said in a statement published in French, Chinese, and English.
LaLiga also apologized for the incident and stated that it "deeply regrets the offense caused by the recent comments made by Kylian Mbappé have caused among Chinese fans."
The controversy arose during an interview on the French show The Bridge, the video of which was later taken down. Mbappé said he found an internet meme funny in which his face had been superimposed onto that of a man he identified as a possible Chinese dictator—in an apparent reference to Mao Zedong.
The Consequences of the Comment
The suspension of broadcasts marks a new episode of tension between China and international sports. In 2019, Beijing suspended sponsorship agreements with the NBA, and state television stopped broadcasting games from the American league for a year after an executive from the Houston Rockets expressed support for the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
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