Premier League matches will not be broadcast in China this weekend in the face of plans by English teams to show messages of support in Ukraine following the invasion of the Russian Army, the BBC revealed on Friday. According to LaLiga sources, the Primera matches will be broadcast on Chinese soil, with one exception: the slogan ‘No to invasion’ will not be overprinted next to the scoreboard.
The iQiyi Sports platform, which has the rights to broadcast the English league in the Asian country, has informed the Premier that it will not broadcast the next matches, in which the team captains will wear bracelets with the Ukrainian flagindicated British media.
The Chinese company last year signed a three-season contract for English football rights, the amount of which was not disclosed. Premier League officials announced plans this week for stadium screens to show messages of support for Kyiv and to invite fans to take “a moment of reflection and solidarity” before the initial service of all matches.
The English league has declined to comment on the shutdown on English football on Chinese television, saying only this week that it “completely rejects Russia’s actions” in Ukraine. The decision of the Chinese platform comes at a time when the Premier has suspended the suspension of television rights contracts in Russia, according to The Times.
The precedent
This is not the first time the Asian country has banned the broadcast of English football. In 2019, the Chinese channel CCTV suspended the broadcast of a match between Arsenal and Manchester City after the German midfielder Mesut Ozil criticized the Uyghur minority treatment in China on social media.
