China state broadcaster pulls Real Madrid match over Mbappé joke

China's state broadcaster CCTV did not air a Real Madrid match on Sunday, despite an apology from the club's star striker, Kylian Mbappé, for his "ill-judged" remarks about the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

Mbappé drew huge backlash after saying the meme "that makes [him] laugh the most" was the one in which his face is superimposed on a "Chinese dictator" resembling Mao.

China Media Group, CCTV's parent organisation, said last Tuesday it would suspend broadcasts of Spanish football La Liga matches after the furore, which also led several Chinese brands to drop Mbappé.

China's foreign ministry had said it took Mbappé's apology "seriously". Real Madrid and La Liga have also apologised.

China Media Group had earlier demanded apologies from the three parties, calling them "an absolute prerequisite" for moving past the incident.

It has acknowledged the apologies but has not said how long the broadcast blackout will last.

Mbappé, who reportedly made his remark about the meme on French talk show The Bridge, apologised later on Tuesday.

"My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world," he had said.

The joke did not go down well in China, where Mao is revered by the Communist Party, despite his having overseen one of the bloodiest chapters in the country's past.

Mao, who led the Chinese Communist Party to victory in the civil war and founded the People's Republic of China, died in 1976.

During his rule he oversaw the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, which led to a famine that killed tens of millions and unleashed violent purges across Chinese society.

This is not the first time Beijing has suspended sports broadcasts over political sensitivities.

It pulled NBA games for a year from October 2019 after Daryl Morey, the general manager of Houston Rockets, tweeted in support of Hong Kong protesters during widespread pro-democracy protests in the city.

Morey later backtracked after fierce criticism from Chinese fans, sponsors, and commercial partners.

"I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives," Morey later wrote.

"I have always appreciated the significant support our Chinese fans and sponsors...I would hope that those who are upset will know that offending or misunderstanding them was not my intention."

Real Madrid beat Racing Santander 3-0 on Sunday, with goals from Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, and Yan Diomande.