Griezmann apologises for posting blackface photo on social media

Paris [France], December 18 (ANI): After receiving a Twitter outrage, Atletico Madrid and France forward Antoine Griezmann has apologised for posting a picture of himself dressed as a black basketball player.

Earlier, Griezmann posted a picture of himself on Twitter, captioned, "80's Party,'' where he donned a Harlem Globetrotters-like uniform, with a black painted body and an afro-style wig, reports goal.com.

He, however, deleted the post after a Twitter backlash and asked people to calm down.

In his second tweet he wrote, "Calm down everyone. I'm a fan of the Harlem Globetrotters and this is a tribute."

Following a string of angry responses against Griezmann of being insensitive, the 26-year-old posted an apology in a third message.

However, Griezmann's original post went viral and had been retweeted more than 15,000 times.

Racism remains a sensitive topic in Spanish football circles, with players at times subjected to abusive chants from fans. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI