CCTV did not air Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Racing Santander despite Mbappé's apology for his Mao joke, with sponsors in China also stepping back.
Real Madrid won 3-0 on Sunday and Chinese state broadcaster CCTV did not show it.
According to The Independent, CCTV left the La Liga match against Racing Santander off air on 1 November, despite Kylian Mbappé's apology. Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomande scored the goals.
The row began last week, when Mbappé joked on a French television programme that his funniest meme put his face on "a Chinese dictator" resembling Mao. He did not name Mao. He later called the remarks "ill-judged" and said he understood they hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world.
China Media Group, CCTV's parent, suspended La Liga broadcasts and demanded apologies from Mbappé, Real Madrid and the league as "an absolute prerequisite". All three apologised. CMG acknowledged them but has not said when broadcasts will resume. Several Chinese brands have dropped Mbappé from sponsorship deals, and the report does not name them.
The context is simple. In China, mocking Mao or calling him a dictator is strictly taboo, and CCTV also carries the Premier League and the German, French and Italian top divisions.
My take: the condition was apologies, and the screen stayed dark anyway. Three apologies delivered. Still no announced date for switching the football back on.
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Meanwhile at the desk
Three apologies in and no resume date out. When one side sets the price and never names the date, it keeps the pen.
Several Chinese brands have walked away and the report names none of them. Treat the commercial damage as a claim until somebody's accounts say otherwise.
