Chinese viewers who turned on the state broadcaster on Sunday for Real Madrid against Racing Santander found no match. CCTV kept the fixture off its channels, extending a La Liga blackout that began after Kylian Mbappe compared his own face in a meme to a “Chinese dictator” resembling Mao Zedong.
The suspension by China Media Group, CCTV’s parent, has now carried through a second round of fixtures without a Spanish top-flight game on state television, even after Mbappe, the club and La Liga all apologised.
The joke that triggered the blackout
Mbappe made the remark on the French online show The Bridge, saying the meme that made him laugh the most featured his face on “some guy … I think he’s a Chinese dictator.” A clip showed his face superimposed on an image of Mao, according to PBS NewsHour, which reported that the video spread rapidly on X.
Mao, who led the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949, remains a protected political figure in China. State media and regulators have moved swiftly in the past against public mockery of him.
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Three sponsors gone and a scrubbed archive
By Tuesday 27 October, three Chinese partners had cut ties with the forward: energy-drink maker Dongpeng, dairy group Mengniu and cheese brand Milkground. The combined value of the Dongpeng and Mengniu contracts was around €6.7 million, according to Latin Times. The China Football Association also lodged a formal protest.
CCTV went further than cancelling that weekend’s broadcast. The state outlet pulled Mbappe advertising and, according to the same report, scrubbed Real Madrid fixtures from the current and previous season out of its archive.
Mbappe issued a statement the same day.
“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. This was absolutely not my intention,” he said in a statement reported by PBS.
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Real Madrid followed with a formal apology on 28 October, and La Liga said it “deeply” regretted the remarks.
What is at stake for La Liga
The Spanish league’s exposure to China runs into real money. La Liga’s Chinese business is worth up to $116 million per season, and Real Madrid draws an estimated 10 to 15 percent of its international merchandise income from the country.
CCTV has signalled that apologies alone would not end the standoff. The broadcaster said it would listen to what Mbappe said and, “even more importantly,” watch what he did, according to Yahoo Sports’ summary of the state outlet’s position. China Media Group has acknowledged the apologies but has given no indication of when La Liga might return to Chinese screens.
Real Madrid won 3-0 away to Racing Santander on Sunday, with Mbappe among the scorers, in a match Chinese fans could not watch on state television.
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Sources: – [Racing 0-3 Real Madrid (Nov 1, 2026) Final Score – ESPN](https://www.espn.com/soccer/match/_/gameId/401882819/real-madrid-racing-santander)
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