La Liga matches not shown on Chinese TV

The first two matches of the 11th round of La Liga, Spain's top football league, were not broadcast on Chinese state television. This decision followed comments made by Kylian Mbappé, a French football star, about Mao Zedong, a former Chinese leader.

Mbappé's comments spark controversy

Mbappé made controversial remarks in a video released earlier in the week, where he joked about Mao Zedong. The comments were seen as disrespectful and led to the decision by Chinese state television to stop broadcasting La Liga matches.

CCTV avoids broadcasting matches

The match between Villarreal and Espanyol Barcelona, which was the first match after the announcement of the broadcast suspension, was not aired by CCTV, the Chinese public television network. However, the match was accessible through the Migu platform, an online streaming service controlled by China Mobile.

Second match also excluded from broadcast

A second match, between Atlético Madrid and Levante, was also not shown on CCTV. Neither of the two matches had been listed in the channel's broadcast schedule, indicating a sudden and unannounced decision to avoid showing them.

Companies terminate contracts with Mbappé

Three companies that used Mbappé's name and image announced on Tuesday that they were ending their contracts with him. This came before CCTV decided to stop broadcasting La Liga matches, showing the significant impact of Mbappé's comments.

La Liga and China respond

La Liga, which views China as a crucial market, expressed disappointment with Mbappé's comments. Mbappé later apologized, saying he was "sincerely sorry," and China stated it would "take seriously" his apologies.