China state broadcaster pulls La Liga matches following Mbappé joke

China's state broadcaster CCTV did not air a Real Madrid match on Sunday, despite the club's star striker Kylian Mbappé's apology for his "ill-judged" remarks on 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 following the furore, which also led to Mbappé being dropped by several Chinese brands.

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 commented on 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.

Kaynak: BBC News World RSS (Açık Basın / Haber Servisi)