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The controversy surrounding Kylian Mbappé's "ill-judged" remarks, which appeared to label former Chinese leader Mao Zedong a "dictator," has already spread well beyond the Frenchman and Real Madrid.
Despite apologies issued by both Mbappé and Real Madrid in French, Chinese, and English, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV has reportedly made good on its threat to halt all La Liga coverage, including Barcelona's commanding victory over Alavés on Saturday.
Mbappé sparked outrage among millions when a social media clip surfaced showing him reacting to various internet memes. The Real Madrid forward pointed to an image of himself edited to resemble Mao, the controversial founding figure of the People's Republic of China, whom he failed to identify. "I think it was a Chinese dictator," he said with a laugh.
That careless remark drew a response from China's foreign ministry and triggered a wave of national brands quickly distancing themselves from Mbappé. The backlash stands to cost the Frenchman millions in lost sponsorship deals and has already had repercussions across Spain's top division.
Spanish news agency EFE reported that none of Saturday's La Liga matches were aired on CCTV or featured in the channel's scheduled programming. Real Madrid's fixture against Racing Santander on Sunday was also notably absent, and all previous matches involving Mbappé's club had been wiped from the app. If this situation persists, it could result in significant broadcasting revenue losses for every La Liga club.
Chinese streaming service Migu did broadcast Barcelona's match and other Spanish fixtures, though Real Madrid were once again erased from the platform. The side that defeated Barça in last weekend's Clásico — largely thanks to Mbappé's goals — were absent from all of Migu's retrospective coverage of August and September.
Jose Mourinho Stands Firm on Mbappe Comments
If anyone understands the consequences of a costly off-the-cuff remark, it's José Mourinho. The Real Madrid manager is famously — or infamously — outspoken and has long been associated with a cautious awareness of overstepping boundaries. "I prefer not to speak," he memorably said back in 2014. "If I speak, I am in big trouble. In big trouble. And I don't want to be in big trouble."
Now that Mbappé has landed himself — and the rest of Spain's top flight — in hot water, Mourinho was swift to rally to his player's defense.
"These are the dangers of today's world, where many times the best thing you can do is not open your mouth," the Portuguese manager reflected this week. "Because there is risk in so many things you say or comment on.
"But I have also seen him [Mbappé] act very responsibly with a club that, in this regard, is of great class. As far as we're concerned, that's it. We have nothing more to say. Both Real Madrid and Kylian Mbappé had the class to react immediately, and I feel, as manager, very well represented by both of them."