China’s state broadcaster CCTV cut Sunday’s match between Arsenal and Manchester City out of its broadcast program after Arsenal midfielder Mesut Özil condemned Beijing’s crackdown on Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Özil on Friday accused Muslims of staying silent over China's oppression against minority Uighurs, calling Uighurs "warriors who resist persecution... Glorious believers who put up a fight alone against these who forcefully move people away from Islam."

The match was played on Sunday and was scheduled to air shortly after midnight on Monday, according to the program published on the Premier League’s official Weibo account.

By Sunday, however, the Arsenal-Manchester City matchup had been replaced with a pre-recorded match between Tottenham and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

China's Xinjiang region is home to around 10 million Uighurs. The Turkic Muslim group, which makes up around 45% of Xinjiang's population, has long accused Chinatarget="_blank"'>