Real Madrid’s Spanish league fixture against Racing Santander was notably absent from Chinese state television broadcasts, highlighting the ongoing economic and diplomatic friction resulting from Kylian Mbappe’s remarks regarding former Chinese leader Mao Zedong. The European regime's premier football competition is reportedly paying a heavy price for the fallout in a crucial Asian market.

According to the AFP news agency, neither of the two dedicated sports channels on state broadcaster CCTV aired Sunday's match. Furthermore, none of the other matches from matchweek 11 have been broadcast live on public television so far, illustrating the fragility of European sports broadcasting agreements when confronted with severe political sensitivities in foreign jurisdictions.

The controversy erupted after a viral video from April surfaced, in which Mbappe allegedly referred to Mao as a "dictator" while commenting on an internet meme. The body overseeing CCTV promptly announced the suspension of all top-tier Spanish league broadcasts, signaling a swift and uncompromising response from the local authorities to perceived insults against historical figures.

Although Mbappe, Real Madrid, and La Liga officials subsequently issued formal apologies, and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs supposedly took the player's remorse under serious consideration, the restrictions remain largely in place. Major Chinese brands have already cancelled lucrative sponsorship deals with the French forward, echoing similar historical boycotts, such as the prolonged fallout between the NBA and the Chinese market following previous political commentary.

Source: www.aljazeera.com