For the third time, Real Madrid’s fixtures are missing from television broadcasts across China. Saturday evening’s away fixture against Valencia will not air on Migu Video Sports, the Chinese channel holding official La Liga broadcast rights in the country. The ongoing blackout stems from a diplomatic friction point involving Kylian Mbappé and his remarks regarding Mao Zedong.
Broadcast Blackout Extends to Valencia Fixture
The refusal to air Real Madrid matches began after previous fixtures against Santander and AEK Athens were dropped from schedules. The club has effectively been scrubbed from local listings, with even results from recent outings—such as a 3-0 victory managed by Jose Mourinho—remaining unavailable to viewers. The 1.408 billion people in China currently have no official television access to watch the squad compete in domestic competition.
Chinese Ambassador Addresses Diplomatic Strain over Remarks
The dispute originated from remarks made by Kylian Mbappé concerning Mao Zedong while discussing internet memes. Despite subsequent apologies issued by both the player and Real Madrid, the channel has maintained the restriction. Yao Jing, the Chinese ambassador to Spain, addressed the diplomatic strain in comments to EFE Deportes, stating that the situation involved an incident that offended the sensibilities of many people in China and required time for resolution. The diplomat added that the Chinese government remains in contact with La Liga and Real Madrid to address the matter.
Calls for Patience From Embassy Officials
Further commentary from diplomatic staff indicates that the restrictions are unlikely to lift immediately. Xie Tianyu, an attaché at the Chinese embassy in Spain, noted that the public requires an adjustment period to process the situation before normal broadcast operations resume. While diplomatic dialogues between league executives and government representatives are underway, the timeline for returning matches to Migu Video Sports schedules remains unspecified.
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