A statement falsely attributed to Chinese President Xi Jinping, claiming that China has agreed to resume broadcasting Spanish football league La Liga following the controversy involving Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé, has circulated on social media.

The purported statement, presented as an official announcement by Xi, claimed that the Chinese government had decided to forgive La Liga and the French international after receiving appeals from football supporters who wanted to watch the competition again, Blueprint reports.

It also suggested that Mbappé had apologised, Real Madrid had clarified its position and that China had decided to move past the disagreement in the interest of millions of football fans.

However, there is no credible evidence that Xi made the statement or that the Chinese government has announced a decision to restore La Liga broadcasts.

Rather, reports from China indicate that restrictions on the transmission of the Spanish league were still in place as of Monday, November 2, despite apologies from the player, his club and La Liga.

How the controversy started

The dispute followed comments by Mbappé about an internet meme featuring his face superimposed on an image of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

In a video interview with French programme The Bridge, which later circulated online, the Real Madrid forward described the meme as showing his face on that of “some guy — I think he’s a Chinese dictator”.

Although he did not explicitly mention Mao by name, the image accompanying the discussion was understood to refer to the former Chinese leader, whose legacy remains a politically sensitive subject in the country.

The remarks triggered widespread criticism on Chinese social media and attracted the attention of state media and commercial partners.

Several Chinese companies, including beverage manufacturer Dongpeng and dairy producers Mengniu and Milkground, subsequently ended their commercial relationships with the France captain.

Chinese social media platforms also restricted access to his accounts, while state broadcaster China Media Group (CMG), which oversees CCTV, announced the suspension of La Liga broadcasts and advertisements featuring the player.

Mbappé, Real Madrid apologise

Following the backlash, Mbappé issued an apology, describing his remarks as ill-judged and acknowledging that they had hurt people in China and Chinese communities around the world.

Real Madrid also issued a statement expressing regret over the incident and apologising to the Chinese people for any offence caused by the player’s comments.

La Liga president Javier Tebas equally apologised, saying the Spanish league deeply regretted the offence caused to Chinese supporters.

Tebas also engaged Chinese diplomatic representatives in an attempt to address the controversy and restore relations.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, said the government took Mbappé’s apology seriously.

However, the acknowledgement did not immediately translate into the restoration of broadcasts.

La Liga remains off Chinese state television

Despite the apologies, CCTV did not broadcast Real Madrid’s La Liga fixture against Racing Santander on Sunday, November 1.

The match, which Real Madrid won 3-0, was not shown on either of CCTV’s two sports channels, according to Agence France-Presse reporters who monitored the broadcasts.

The absence of the fixture followed the earlier suspension of La Liga coverage after the controversy.

Reports also indicated that the situation extended to Migu, a digital streaming platform owned by China Mobile, which had continued to show some other La Liga fixtures but did not carry the Real Madrid match.

This suggested that the dispute had not been resolved, despite the public apologies from the parties involved.

As of Monday, November 2, neither CCTV nor the Chinese government had announced a date for the resumption of the suspended broadcasts.

A dispute with commercial implications

The controversy has also raised concerns about the commercial relationship between Spanish football and one of its major international markets.

China has a substantial football audience, with European leagues attracting millions of viewers through television and digital streaming platforms.

For La Liga, the suspension represents a potential challenge to its commercial and broadcasting interests in the country.

The dispute also recalls the controversy involving the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 2019, when Chinese broadcasters suspended coverage of NBA games after Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey expressed support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

That episode demonstrated how disagreements involving political sensitivities can affect the commercial interests of international sporting organisations in China.

While Mbappé, Real Madrid and La Liga have all expressed regret over the latest controversy, the continued absence of Real Madrid matches from Chinese broadcasts shows that the matter has yet to be fully resolved.

The statement attributed to Xi Jinping therefore appears to be a fabricated social media post rather than an official announcement of a breakthrough in the dispute.