Culture · 2026-11-02 · Afternoon briefing

China pulls Spanish football over Mbappé's Mao joke

China's state broadcaster, CCTV, pulled a Real Madrid match from its schedule on Sunday following a comment by the club's star striker, Kylian Mbappé. The controversy began after Mbappé remarked on a meme that superimposed his face onto a figure resembling the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong, which he referred to as a "Chinese dictator".

The response was swift. Last Tuesday, CCTV's parent organisation, China Media Group, announced a suspension of all Spanish La Liga broadcasts, and Mbappé has since been dropped by several Chinese brands. Apologies have been issued by the player, his club, and La Liga. China's foreign ministry stated it took Mbappé's apology "seriously", but the duration of the broadcast blackout remains unconfirmed.

This is not an unprecedented move for the broadcaster. In October 2019, CCTV pulled all NBA games for a full year after the general manager of the Houston Rockets tweeted in support of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

Summary written by Cup of News with AI from the sources below. Check the originals for the full story.

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• China state broadcaster pulls Real Madrid match over Mbappé joke
• China refuses to air Real Madrid match after Kylian Mbappe’s joke about Mao
• China’s Mbappé Blackout Continues as Real Madrid Games Dropped
• China Pulls the Plug on Real Madrid and Kylian Mbappé
• Real Madrid apologises to China over Mbappé's Mao Zedong comments

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