CCTV keeps La Liga matches off air despite Mbappé apology over Mao joke

China's state broadcaster CCTV did not air Real Madrid's match on Sunday, despite an apology from the club's star striker Kylian Mbappé for what he called his ill-judged remarks about the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong. China Media Group, CCTV's parent organisation, said last Tuesday that it would suspend broadcasts of Spanish La Liga matches after Mbappé's comments triggered a backlash in China. Several Chinese brands also dropped the French forward. The furore began after Mbappé reportedly said on the French talk show The Bridge that the meme making him laugh the most was one in which his face is superimposed on a "Chinese dictator" resembling Mao. China Media Group had demanded apologies from Mbappé, Real Madrid and La Liga, describing them as "an absolute prerequisite" for moving past the incident. It has acknowledged the apologies from all three parties, but has not commented on how long the broadcast blackout will last. Mbappé apologised later on Tuesday, saying: "My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world." China's foreign ministry said it took the apology "seriously". The joke provoked anger in China, where Mao is revered by the Communist Party. Mao led the Chinese Communist Party to victory in the civil war and founded the People's Republic of China before his death in 1976. His rule encompassed the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, a period that included a famine which killed tens of millions and violent purges across Chinese society. The suspension follows a precedent set in 2019, when Chinese broadcasters pulled NBA games for a year from October after Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Houston Rockets, tweeted in support of Hong Kong protesters during widespread pro-democracy demonstrations in the city. Morey backtracked after fierce criticism from Chinese fans, sponsors and commercial partners. "I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives," he later wrote, adding that offending or misunderstanding Chinese fans and sponsors "was not my intention". On the pitch, Real Madrid beat Racing Santander 3-0 in Sunday's match, with goals from Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomande.