The controversy surrounding Kylian Mbappé, the French star of Real Madrid, is intensifying. On November 1st, China’s state-owned CCTV and other mainstream media outlets completely ceased broadcasting the Spanish La Liga matches of Real Madrid.
During the 11th round of La Liga matches, which took place from the evening of October 31st to the early hours of November 1st Beijing time, Real Madrid triumphed over Racing Santander with a score of 3-0, marking their sixth consecutive victory across all competitions. However, the people in mainland China were unable to watch this match.
The schedule on CCTV’s official website revealed that neither the CCTV Sports Channel (CCTV-5) nor the Sports Events Channel (CCTV-5+) aired any La Liga matches or highlights from that round on that day. Although the streaming service “Migu Video” did broadcast other La Liga games, including those featuring Barcelona, it notably failed to provide coverage of the Real Madrid versus Santander match.
In response, many fans took to social media to express their frustrations. Comments included remarks such as, “The match isn’t being shown, and even the highlights are missing?” and “If you’re not going to broadcast Real Madrid matches, why won’t you refund my membership fee?” Many felt that paying for a subscription yet receiving no replays felt worse than their team losing the game.
Other fans also commented, “Migu not only failed to arrange for the live broadcast of the Real Madrid match, but they also made it impossible to watch past game replays.” Others viewed the removal of replays as outrageous, insisting that fans simply want to enjoy the game, yet their rights to watch are being caught up in political repercussions. “I just want to see regular live broadcasts!” one fan declared.
Previously, Mbappé had been asked in an interview which meme featuring his likeness made him laugh the most. He stated that the funniest one was when someone superimposed his face onto a photograph of a “Chinese dictator.” The segment coincidentally depicted an image believed to be that of Mao Zedong, the former leader of the Communist Party of China. This clip has since circulated widely on Chinese social media.
Following this incident, CCTV promptly announced that starting from the evening of October 26th, they would halt all broadcasts related to La Liga and Mbappé, leading to the removal of related programs as well. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that Mbappé’s comments regarding Mao had “hurt the feelings of the people.”
In the wake of this controversy, several Chinese companies, including Dongpeng Beverage, Mengniu Dairy, and Miaokelan, quickly severed ties with Mbappé, announcing they would terminate all collaborations. In the aftermath, Mbappé, La Liga, and Real Madrid each issued public apologies; however, the fallout from this situation has yet to diminish.
In related readings, political expert Yu Maocun posted on the social media platform X, stating that “the Communist Party of China is not genuinely protecting the feelings of the Chinese people, but rather taking the people’s sentiments as hostages. The real harm to the dignity of the Chinese people does not stem from criticisms by foreigners, but from the actions of the Communist Party itself.”
He elaborated that during Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward, a catastrophic man-made famine ensued, resulting in an estimated death toll of 30 to 45 million Chinese citizens. This was followed by the Cultural Revolution, which tumultuously transformed society—countless families were torn apart, teachers were persecuted by students, and intellectuals faced oppression, with temples and historical sites devastated. He questioned, “Does the killing of the Chinese people not count as an affront to their feelings?”
The political maneuvering by the Communist Party surrounding Mbappé’s remarks continues to evoke discussion regarding the leadership’s treatment of historical traumas and the ongoing implications for public sentiment in China.