China suspends La Liga coverage over Mbappé incident

China's state broadcaster, CCTV, has suspended coverage of La Liga matches since Monday, following Kylian Mbappé's remarks about a satirical image. The suspension includes all La Liga fixtures scheduled for Friday and Saturday, as well as those set for Sunday and Monday local time.

Spanish news agency observed that none of the La Liga fixtures for the weekend and early Monday were listed in the network's official programme schedule. The archive also shows no Real Madrid fixtures from this season or the 2025-26 campaign.

Migu, La Liga's exclusive digital partner in China, kept most of its weekend schedule intact. However, the platform excluded Real Madrid matches, including the Racing Santander and Real Madrid match, from its broadcast schedule.

The suspension began after Mbappé made remarks in a press interview about a satirical image that depicted his face superimposed on a picture of a 'Chinese leader', without naming Mao Zedong. The comments led to several Chinese companies ending commercial agreements with him and state television suspending coverage of La Liga matches involving the French forward.

Mbappé apologised in French, Chinese, and English. La Liga expressed regret over the incident, and president Javier Tebas sent a letter to the China Media Group (CMG), which runs the state broadcaster. The CMG confirmed receiving the letter but did not specify whether it was sufficient to resume coverage.

China's Foreign Ministry did not comment on the matter, leaving the resolution of the measures against Mbappé and La Liga unclear.