CCTV blacks out Real Madrid matches after Mbappe's Mao "dictator" remark
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV pulled live coverage of Real Madrid's La Liga match against Racing Santander on September 15 after a viral video showed Kylian Mbappe calling Mao Zedong a "dictator" during a meme review. The clip showed Mbappe laughing at a meme superimposing his face onto "some guy — I think he's a Chinese dictator," an apparent reference to Mao.
China Media Group, which oversees CCTV, suspended all La Liga broadcasts, calling apologies from Mbappe, Real Madrid, and La Liga "an absolute prerequisite" for resuming coverage. All three apologised — Mbappe for "ill-judged" comments, La Liga expressing "deep" regret, Real Madrid saying they'd "done our part." China's foreign ministry said it took Mbappe's apology "seriously."
Major Chinese brands subsequently cancelled sponsorship deals with Mbappe. Notably, Migu — the streaming service owned by state telecom China Mobile — broadcast Barcelona's 6-1 win over Alaves on Saturday but did not carry Sunday's Real Madrid match.
China is a massive commercial market for European football, carrying Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, and Serie A alongside La Liga. This mirrors the 2019 NBA fallout when Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey tweeted support for Hong Kong protesters, triggering a multi-year Chinese broadcast blackout.
For Nigerian football fans and sports business observers: this underscores how political sensitivity in major markets can instantly disrupt commercial sports ecosystems. A single off-field comment can trigger broadcast bans, sponsor exits, and revenue losses across entire leagues.