Chinese state TV skips Real Madrid match after Mbappé's remarks about Mao Zedong

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV did not air Real Madrid's La Liga match at Racing Santander on Sunday, after forward Kylian Mbappé caused a furore in China with remarks about former leader Mao Zedong. Neither of CCTV's two sports channels showed the game, which kicked off at 15:15 GMT, according to AFP. None of the other matchweek 11 games had been shown live on public television either. Mbappé called Mao a "dictator" in an April video that recently went viral. The body overseeing CCTV then said it would halt broadcasts of the Spanish league. Mbappé, Real Madrid and La Liga all apologised, and China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it took the player's apology seriously. Reports said La Liga games were streamed on Migu, a service owned by state-owned China Mobile, including Barcelona's 6-1 win over Alavés on Saturday, but Madrid's game did not appear to be shown. On the pitch, Madrid won 3-0, with Mbappé scoring a penalty and Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomandé also scoring. It was their sixth straight win. They are third, three points behind Barcelona and a point behind Atlético Madrid.

The left-leaning Guardian covers the story inside a European football roundup. It leads with Mbappé's penalty and Madrid's 3-0 win, and treats the blackout as background to his week, alongside his narrow loss of the Ballon d'Or to Harry Kane and his apology. It gives scorers, standings and other results in Spain and Italy, and says little about China's response. The alternative outlets, France 24 and Al Jazeera, make the blackout the main story. Their headlines point to China's refusal to air the game and the Mao meme row. Al Jazeera adds the AFP report, the regulator's halt order, China's foreign ministry response, the Migu streaming detail, and an unanswered request for comment from La Liga. Both sides agree on the blackout, Mbappé's remarks and his apology. They differ in emphasis: sport versus diplomacy and broadcasting. Right-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and alternative outlets had.