CCTV leaves Real Madrid match off schedule after Mbappé remarks

China’s state broadcaster CCTV did not air Real Madrid’s La Liga match against Racing Santander on Sunday, despite apologies from Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid and the league for the forward’s remarks about Mao Zedong. AFP reporters observed that neither of CCTV’s two sports channels showed the match. Real Madrid won 3-0, with Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomande scoring. The decision came after China Media Group, which oversees CCTV, said it would suspend La Liga broadcasts following the controversy. The dispute began after a video circulated in which Mbappé described a meme that made him laugh: his face placed on a man he thought was a Chinese dictator. The image appeared to refer to Mao, whom Mbappé did not name in the reported comment. He later apologized, saying his remark was ill-judged and that he understood it had hurt people in China and Chinese communities around the world. Real Madrid and La Liga also apologized. China’s Foreign Ministry said it took Mbappé’s apology seriously. China Media Group had described apologies from the player, club and league as an absolute prerequisite for moving past the controversy, and later acknowledged that they had been made. It has...