China suspends La Liga broadcasts after Mbappe joke about Mao

Real Madrid’s French star Kylian Mbappe has become embroiled in a major controversy over comments he made about a meme that has gone viral on social media.

“Operative Information Center-OMM” reports that Mbappe, speaking on the French program “The Bridge,” said the meme that made him laugh most showed his face superimposed on an image of Mao Zedong, founder of the Chinese Communist Party. In the interview, Mbappe used ill-judged language and described the Chinese leader as a “dictator.”

His remarks sparked widespread discontent and a sharp backlash in China. Although Mao led the country during bloody periods, including the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, which caused millions of deaths, he is now regarded as a historic figure revered by the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese society.

Following the controversy, China Media Group (CMG), the parent organization of China Central Television (CCTV), decided to suspend broadcasts of Spanish La Liga matches and games involving Mbappe in China. Major Chinese brands such as Mengniu and Dongpeng Beverage also announced they were ending their cooperation with the footballer and terminating sponsorship agreements.

As tensions escalated, Mbappe issued a public apology on Tuesday, saying his words had been thoughtless and that he understood they had offended people in China and Chinese people around the world. Real Madrid and La Liga management also issued special apologies to the Chinese people.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had taken note of the apologies, but China Media Group has not yet said when the broadcast suspension will be lifted.

Beijing has suspended sports broadcasts over political sensitivities before. A similar incident occurred in October 2019, when China suspended broadcasts of NBA games for a year after Daryl Morey, general manager of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, posted in support of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. The ban remained in place for an extended period, despite Morey later apologizing and saying he appreciated the support of sponsors.

Despite the controversy, Real Madrid beat Racing Santander 3-0 in its latest match, with goals from Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomande.