His remarks about the former Chinese leader Mao Zedong caused a wave of resentment in China, and the consequences were felt not only by Real Madrid, but also by the entire Spanish La Liga. Chinese state television CCTV did not broadcast the Madrid club’s league match against Racing Santander.
The 11th round match in the Spanish top flight was played on Sunday, November 1, but Chinese viewers could not watch it on either of the two CCTV sports channels. This was not an isolated case. During the weekend, state television also removed other La Liga matches from its program. The reason for this is the controversy sparked by Mbappé’s comments in an interview published on social networks.
The paradox is that the French striker himself scored a goal in the match against Racing Santander and helped Real Madrid win 3:0. However, fans in China could not watch his performance on state television.
The whole case started after Mbappé was asked in an interview about his favorite internet meme. The Real Madrid striker mentioned a picture in which his face was modified to resemble Mao Zedong, the founder of the People’s Republic of China.
The French international said of the figure in the picture that it was “some kind of Chinese dictator”. Although he did not say Mao Zedong’s name directly, the context of his remark was clear. In China, where public mocking of the former leader is an extremely sensitive issue, his words provoked a strong reaction.
Chinese users of social networks and the local media subsequently responded to Mbappé’s statements. Several important Chinese companies ended their advertising cooperation with the football player. The controversy thus turned from a personal matter into a problem that threatens the business interests of one of the most famous football brands in the world.
Mbappé realized the seriousness of the situation and apologized for his inappropriately chosen words in French, Chinese and English. Real Madrid and the leadership of La Liga also expressed their regret over the situation.
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However, the Chinese media group China Media Group (CMG), which covers the state television CCTV, already announced on October 26 the suspension of the broadcast of the matches of the Spanish league. At the same time, she demanded a satisfactory apology and rejected the argument that Mbappé did not intend to offend anyone. According to its representatives, his statements exceeded the limits of acceptable behavior.
Although China’s foreign ministry took note of the French footballer’s apology, it did not say whether the country plans to resume broadcasting the matches. Even Sunday’s Real Madrid duel was therefore not shown on the CCTV screens.
The situation has one important detail. Not all options to watch La Liga in China have completely disappeared. For example, the Migu digital platform broadcast Barcelona’s match against Alavés on Saturday, which ended with a 6-1 victory for the Catalan team. However, the meeting between Racing Santander and Real Madrid was missing from her program.
This is an unpleasant situation for La Liga, because the Chinese market represents a significant space for television rights, advertising and sales of club products. In addition, the case affects not only Real Madrid and its star striker, but also other clubs of the competition, which have nothing to do with the controversy.
It is not yet clear when the broadcast of the Spanish league on Chinese state television will resume. Apologies from Mbappé, Real Madrid and the management of the competition have not yet produced a visible result. Sunday’s meeting thus showed that one ill-advised comment can have consequences not only for the player himself, but also for the entire football competition.
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