China follows through on threat as Real Madrid vs Racing Santander match removed from television schedule

China follows through on threat as Real Madrid vs Racing Santander match removed from television scheduleReal Madrid and Kylian Mbappe have found themselves embroiled in an unnecessary controversy with China.The Frenchman’s remarks in an interview are now directly affecting the club’s television exposure, and there seems to be no resolution in sight.Despite formal apologies from both the player and the club, it looks as though China Media Group have no intention of budging.According to El Partidazo de COPE, Chinese television will not broadcast Los Blancos‘ encounter against Racing Santander on Sunday.The large-scale boycott announced following Mbappe’s controversial comments seemingly remains in place.Real Madrid and La Liga disappear from Chinese televisionThe dispute began after Mbappe discussed a meme depicting him as former Chinese leader Mao Zedong.His remarks triggered considerable criticism in China, prompting state broadcaster CCTV to suspend its coverage of La Liga.The consequences have extended beyond Real Madrid. CCTV did not broadcast any Spanish league matches on Friday or Saturday.Even Barcelona’s 6-1 victory over Deportivo Alaves was not broadcast in the Asian country. Meanwhile, Chinese streaming platform Migu took a different stance.The platform, which holds exclusive digital rights to La Liga until 2030, continued showing other league fixtures but removed Sunday’s Racing Santander-Real Madrid encounter.Apologies have failed to restore broadcastsMbappe has already apologised publicly, while Real Madrid and La Liga have also attempted to repair relations with Chinese authorities.Nevertheless, the broadcasting restrictions remain unresolved, with no official indication of when normal coverage might resume.The concern for La Liga is that China represents an important international market, and sustained restrictions would affect both the club’s and the league’s revenue.Kylian Mbappe finds himself neck deep in an unnecessary controversy. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)The situation is particularly frustrating because Madrid have already made efforts to address the controversy.However, so far, Chinese authorities have deemed the efforts made by the player and the club insufficient and are showing no signs of backing down.Real Madrid cannot let this situation affect them on the pitch. The priority has to be to take three points at El Sardinero, and it remains to be seen how this controversy is resolved.