La Liga is pursuing talks with Chinese authorities after a dispute over Kylian Mbappé’s comments about Mao Zedong interrupted the Spanish competition’s television coverage. League president Javier Tebas said in Barcelona on 2 November that contacts were continuing in Madrid and Beijing; his remarks were reported on Tuesday.
CCTV did not broadcast any La Liga match over the weekend. Real Madrid’s Sunday victory at Racing Santander was also absent from pay television in China. Mbappé, his club and the league have apologised, but the latest account does not announce a date for normal coverage to resume.
The dispute followed comments about an internet meme during an interview with the French programme The Bridge. The clip was subsequently removed. A football interview has therefore become a problem for the institutions and businesses that take the competition to viewers outside Spain.
The commercial backdrop helps explain the league’s concern. In August, La Liga announced a four-season digital partnership with China Mobile Migu, covering 2026/27 through 2029/30. The agreement envisaged access to all 380 league matches each season through a freemium model. That earlier announcement describes the intended distribution framework, not proof that every match remains available during the dispute.
Tebas is seeking to restore the relationship through dialogue. For clubs, the stakes extend beyond one weekend’s audience to the reliability of a major overseas market. For Chinese supporters, the immediate question is simpler: when can they watch their teams again? There is no confirmed timetable in the latest report, and the interruption should not be described as a permanent withdrawal from China.
