China maintains the suspension of LaLiga broadcasts after the controversy triggered by statements by Kylian Mbappé about Mao Zedong. State television CCTV has not aired any match of the Spanish competition during this weekend, despite the public apologies of the French forward, of Real Madrid and of the president of LaLiga, Javier Tebas. The decision, adopted last Monday, October 26, continues without an announced date for the resumption of broadcasts.
According to what Agencia EFE has verified, none of the matches played between Friday and Saturday appeared in CCTV's official schedule. The suspension affected Villarreal-Espanyol, Levante-Atlético de Madrid, Rayo Vallecano-Celta de Vigo, Betis-Málaga and Barcelona-Alavés, matches that also could not be followed through the channels of Chinese public television.
The absence of Spanish football remains in the scheduled programming for this Sunday, November 1 and Monday. CCTV also does not include Getafe-Sevilla, Racing de Santander-Real Madrid, Elche-Valencia, Athletic-Real Sociedad or Deportivo de La Coruña-Osasuna. The measure means a complete interruption of the usual LaLiga broadcasts on state television, which until now aired between one and two matches per round.
Migu maintains LaLiga, but withdraws Real Madrid matches
The situation is different on Migu, the streaming platform that holds the exclusive digital rights to LaLiga in China until the 2029/2030 season. Unlike CCTV, this service has practically maintained all of its programming during the weekend, although it has introduced an exception that directly affects Real Madrid.
The Racing de Santander-Real Madrid, scheduled for this Sunday, does not appear in Migu's programming, as EFE has verified. The platform does offer the other matches of the round, so the restriction is concentrated on Mbappé's team.
The absence is not limited to the next match. Migu also does not show previous Real Madrid matches corresponding to the August and September rounds, while it does preserve the results, summaries and full broadcasts of other teams. A review of its catalog makes it possible to verify that the matches of the white side have disappeared from the available content.
Something similar occurs in the CCTV application, where matches from previous matchdays before the suspension can still be found, but none of Real Madrid from this season or from the 2025/2026 campaign appear. The last available match of the Spanish competition is the Celta-Betis played on Sunday, October 25.
In addition, several social media users reported at the beginning of the controversy that Migu had deleted videos of Mbappé’s goals in the latest clásico against Barcelona.
For now, the cancellation of Migu’s contract with LaLiga has not been officially announced, so a distinction must be made between the removal of certain Real Madrid content and a rupture of the commercial agreements to broadcast the entire competition.
What Mbappé said about Mao Zedong and why China suspended LaLiga
The controversy began after a fragment of an interview was circulated on social media in which Kylian Mbappé spoke about one of his favorite memes. The striker explained that he found funny a montage in which his face appeared superimposed on that of a "Chinese dictator," in reference to an image of Mao Zedong, founder of the People's Republic of China.
Although the footballer did not expressly mention Mao by name, the montage that accompanied his statements made it possible to identify the former leader. The comment generated a strong reaction in China, where his figure retains important political and historical significance.
The controversy led to several Chinese companies breaking their commercial agreements with Mbappé, while state radio and television announced on October 26 the suspension of LaLiga broadcasts, of matches related to the striker, and of the advertisements starring him.
The footballer responded through a statement published in French, Chinese and English, in which he apologized for his words and assured that he had not intended to offend the Chinese people.
However, the explanations were not enough to end the crisis. State television maintained the restrictions and demanded a response it considered satisfactory from Real Madrid, understanding that the club should also speak out about its player's statements.
Real Madrid and Javier Tebas apologize to China
In light of the commercial and sporting consequences of the controversy, LaLiga issued an official statement on Tuesday, October 27 in which it regretted Mbappé’s statements and apologized to Chinese fans. The organization emphasized that the striker’s words had been made in a personal capacity and did not represent the position of the competition.
Javier Tebas also personally conveyed his apologies and sent a letter to China Media Group (CMG), responsible for CCTV, in an attempt to restore relations. LaLiga has defended the importance of China as a strategic market and has announced its intention to strengthen cultural awareness measures among clubs and footballers.
The Real Madrid later joined the apologies through a letter addressed to the Chinese state corporation, in which it expressed its respect for the country, its history, its culture, and its citizens. CMG confirmed on Wednesday, October 28, that it had received the club’s communication, although it avoided clarifying whether it considered the response sufficient.
For its part, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also avoided specifying when the restrictions could be lifted. The authorities have acknowledged the footballer’s apologies, but have not announced any decision on the resumption of broadcasts.
No date for recovering LaLiga broadcasts in China
The continuation of the restrictions shows that the crisis opened by Mbappé’s statements continues to affect the presence of Spanish football in the Chinese market. While CCTV keeps the broadcast of all LaLiga suspended, Migu has opted to retain the rest of the matches and leave Real Madrid’s games out of its programming.
The situation is of special importance because of the audiovisual and commercial agreements that the Spanish competition maintains in China. LaLiga signed a contract this season with Migu to distribute its matches until 2030 and has been developing initiatives for years to expand its presence among fans in the Asian country.
For the time being, the apologies from Mbappé, Real Madrid and Javier Tebas have not managed to get CCTV to broadcast Spanish football again, while the white team continues to be absent from Migu’s catalog. The main unknown is how long these measures will last and whether the talks between LaLiga and the Chinese audiovisual authorities will make it possible to recover the broadcasts during the coming matchdays.