China suspends Real Madrid broadcasts after Mbappé Mao meme row

China's state broadcaster CCTV has not aired any LaLiga matches this weekend following Kylian Mbappé's comments about a meme involving Mao Zedong, with Real Madrid games also removed from digital archives. The suspension covers five matches from Friday to Saturday and four scheduled for Sunday, including Racing de Santander-Real Madrid, while platform Migu, LaLiga's exclusive digital partner in China, kept most programming except the Real Madrid fixture. CCTV's app shows no Real Madrid matches from this season or 2025/26. The dispute began after Mbappé mentioned a meme featuring his face on a "Chinese dictator," prompting Chinese companies to break deals and state media to suspend broadcasts. Mbappé apologized in three languages, and LaLiga sent a letter to China Media Group, though no timeline for restoring broadcasts has been announced.