China’s Mbappé blackout continues as Real Madrid games dropped

Football star Kylian Mbappé’s match for Real Madrid this weekend was unavailable on both television and digital streaming platforms in China, a sign that the backlash against the French athlete over a perceived insult to Mao Zedong has yet to fully subside.

Real Madrid’s match against Racing Santander did not appear on the programming schedule of China’s state broadcaster CCTV on Sunday and was also not found on China Mobile’s streaming platform Migu Video, which owns the rights to Spanish league La Liga’s matches in mainland China. Other La Liga matches played on Sunday remained available on Migu.

The broadcast blackout follows a controversy last week sparked by remarks from Mbappé that many Chinese netizens interpreted as disrespectful toward Mao, the founding leader of modern China. The fallout quickly spread beyond social media, with Chinese state television dropping his matches and advertisements, and major Chinese consumer brands severing ties with the player.

Mbappé, Real Madrid, and La Liga all issued apologies last week, but it remains unclear how long the backlash will persist or what lasting impact it may have on the player’s commercial appeal in China.

Global brands with endorsement relationships with the French football star, including On Holdings and LVMH’s Dior, also removed China-related social media content featuring Mbappé last week.

China remains an important and growing market for European soccer leagues, offering significant opportunities for digital fan engagement, consumer merchandising and corporate sponsorship.