Chinese state TV blacks out Premier League games

China‘s state TV has blacked out Premier League football matches as the diplomatic fallout between the UK and Beijing spreads to sport.

China Central Television (CCTV) played last night’s blockbuster tie between Liverpool and Chelsea on CCTV+5, rather than its main football channel CCTV-5.

And it is expected to dump the competition from screens for the rest of the year, reports suggest.

The final round of fixtures for this season are on the weekend, but none feature in CCTV’s schedule.

It comes amid a souring of relations between the two countries stemming from Boris Johnson’s decision to ban Chinese tech firm Huawei from the UK’s 5G system.

CCTV last year refused to broadcast live NBA matches after one official showed support for Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters.

China Central Television (CCTV) played last night’s blockbuster tie between Liverpool and Chelsea on CCTV+5, rather than its main football channel CCTV-5

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