Netherlands vs Mexico: KLM forced to apologise for 'racist' joke tweet following Dutch win
Lighthearted tweet from Dutch airline caused a stir
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Dutch airline KLM has apologised for a tweet it sent out from it's official account following the Netherlands victory over Mexico.
Just after the Dutch completed a dramatic late turnaround against Mexico, to win their round of 16 clash 2-1, the airline posted a tweet of an airport departures sign under the heading 'Adios Amigos'.
Next to the word Departures was a picture of a man wearing a sombrero and a moustache.
The picture went viral although was soon deleted after a social media backlash.
Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal, reportedly tweeted to his two million followers that he would never fly with the airline again although that post appears to have been deleted with the actor now apologising for a sense of humour failure caused by the football.
"It was meant to be a joke but there was too much negative reaction," said KLM spokeswoman Lisette Ebeling Koning.
She added that the airline had not meant to offend Mexicans and KLM went on to issue an official apology on Sunday.
"In the best of sportsmanship, we offer our heartfelt apologies to those who have been offended by the comment," said Marnix Fruitema, director general of KLM in North America.
Although the fairly light-hearted joke appeared to be lost on many people, given the amount of publicity it has generated for the airline, they may not view the whole exercise as a complete failiure.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments