Antoine Griezmann has apologised for any offence caused after posting an image of himself on social media with his face painted black as part of an NBA party costume on Sunday.
The Atlético Madrid forward was also wearing a wig and holding a basketball in the photo which had “NBA 69 ALLSTARS” on the jersey. The photo on his official Twitter account was accompanied by the message “80’s Party” followed by basketball and laughing emojis.
Antoine Griezmann’s tweet on Sunday was criticised by MP David Lammy. Photograph: Antoine Griezmann/PA
One response called the photo a “bad idea” with others urging the France forward to delete the tweet.
Griezmann at first reacted to the criticism by tweeting: “Calm down friends, I’m a fan of the Harlem Globetrotters and of this great era... It’s a tribute.”
He later tweeted an apology to those he had offended.
“I recognise that’s it’s insensitive on my part. If I offended some people I’m sorry,” he wrote.
On Friday, Star Sports Bookmakers eventually apologised for a social media post in which it praised a man who had painted himself black and dressed up as Labour MP Diane Abbott at the PDC World Championships darts tournament.
David Lammy, Labour MP for Tottenham, was among those to criticise Griezmann.
He wrote on Twitter: “There are so, so many different options for an 80s party, or a night out at the darts for that matter, that don’t involve blackface.
“I can’t believe we’re out here in 2017 saying don’t dress up in blackface.”