APOLOGIES IN. FOOTBALL STILL OUT.

The real news

The story, straight

Your TV cannot show a match its broadcaster does not air. La Liga is Spain’s top football league; CCTV is China’s state broadcaster.

China Media Group, CCTV’s parent organisation, suspended La Liga broadcasts following the backlash over Kylian Mbappé’s comment about a meme.

The meme put his face onto an image resembling Mao Zedong. Mbappé apologised, calling his comment “ill-judged”.

Real Madrid and La Liga also apologised.

But the apologies did not bring the football back. CCTV did not air Real Madrid’s Sunday match against Racing Santander.

China Media Group acknowledged the apologies without saying how long the suspension would last.

Real Madrid won 3-0. The match happened; CCTV viewers simply did not get that broadcast.

This is a suspension by a particular broadcaster, not evidence that nobody in China could watch football.

Lil’meme is crouched beside a dark television, changing the remote’s batteries like a pit crew trying to repair a diplomatic incident. Unfortunately, the missing component is not available in the battery aisle.

The useful lesson: a working screen does not guarantee access. The organisation carrying a match can decide not to show it.

Check its schedule before dismantling the living room.

Source: BBC News, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq78pypg0800o

Repost this before I send the remote to mediation.

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