Updated at 23.59
JAPANESE VIDEO games firm Konami said Wednesday it was dropping French striker Antoine Griezmann as a brand ambassador over a racism row involving the Barcelona striker and teammate Ousmane Dembele.
“Previously we had announced Antoine Griezmann as our Yu-Gi-Oh! contents ambassador, however in light of recent events we have decided to cancel the contract,” the firm said in a statement alluding to a manga gaming series.
“Konami Digital Entertainment believes, as is the philosophy of sports, that discrimination of any kind is unacceptable,” the company stressed, adding it would be asking Barcelona “as a club partner to explain the details of this case and its future actions.”
Dembele had to apologise earlier this week for making racist comments in a video circulating on social media.
Dembele, 24, offered his “sincere apologies” on Monday after a 42-second clip, which he appeared to have made on Snapchat in 2019, was leaked and widely shared on the internet.
The clip shows Dembele, on Barca’s pre-season tour of Japan two years ago, talking to team-mate Griezmann as he waited for local technicians to connect a game console to a television in their hotel room.
Dembele refers to “ugly faces” as the technicians work and appears to mock the Japanese language before asking: “are you advanced in your country or not?”
In a Wednesday statement, Barcelona said the club “deeply regret” how two of its players “displayed a lack of respect in their attitude towards several employees in the hotel in which they were staying.
“This attitude in no way coincides with the values that FC Barcelona represents and defends,” the statement continued, adding that “at FC Barcelona there is no place for racism or discrimination.”
Offering a public apology the club warned it reserved “the right to take the internal measures that it considers appropriate.”
Hiroshi Mikitani, the chief executive officer of Barcelona’s main shirt sponsor, Japanese electronics company Rakuten, said on Tuesday he wants an explanation from the club over the affair.
“As a sponsor of the club and the host of the tour, I very much regret the FCB players’ discriminative remarks,” Mikatini tweeted, saying the remarks were unacceptable.
Since 2017, Rakuten has paid €55 million a year to appear on the front of Barca’s jersey. They have extended their deal to next season.
Dembele, who is recovering from surgery after injuring his knee in France’s second group game at Euro 2020, said on Monday that he regretted the incident and offered “sincere apologies.”
Griezmann was in hot water three years ago for appearing wearing blackface and dressed as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters for a party. He said Monday he had always opposed “all forms of discrimination” and apologised “if I offended my Japanese friends”.
I’d like to see Brian Kerr given another chance.A very positive forward thinking manager who still has the best win record for Ireland,is younger than O’Neill,and what he achieved with the Faroe Islands was phenomenal.Spend five minutes on Twitter and the Ipswich fans can’t wait to get rid of Mick.The word dinosaur seems to crop up a lot.For me Kerr who be a no brainer.
@Padraig: I think Kerr could have more of an impact given a remit at under age level, alongside Ruud Dokter. Or maybe even in charge of the under 21 team. It’s a real pity he’s gone completely unused.
I would miss Roy. I think he and Brian Kerr would be a good team.
@GARFARKLE: Roy over the senior and Kerr over the under 21s with a consulting role in the seniors, aiding with player transition to the senior side (even with an eye on the under 19s which looks like a hotbed at the moment). That would be great.
@EnKy: Good one. Thank you for expanding my point.
Bring back Mick
I wonder if Johnny Walters is only saying that because he’s gone from Stoke now, and he knows how detrimental MON is to the Irish team with his insistence, like Trappatoni’s, that the Irish players aren’t any good, and thus shouldn’t be allowed play football.
And finally:
Former Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni calls time on managerial career – after his wife said she’d ‘change the locks’ if he left again
https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/soccer-news/giovanni-trapattoni-retire-ireland-team-11841576
I think the fai will go for McCarthy.
Yea,let’s clamber for O’Neill,he’s won so much for Ireland!
Need an extension on the trophy room.
Actually can’t believe w
@Gary O’Hanlon: can’t believe people want Roy Keane as a manager. He is clueless. Passion, desire, commitment that’s all he ever says.