It's often said that one needs to be really careful of what one records and shares with friends. Especially these days in the era of "cancel culture" and "über-wokeness" where even a slight error in judgement can be blown up into something more serious, depending on how that individual's actions are interpreted by very vocal groups.
That's something that Barcelona duo Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele are learning the hard way. Back in 2019, Griezmann and Dembele, who were part of the France squad who were knocked out in the round of 16 after a shock loss to Switzerland, featured in a video that showed them mocking several Asian employees who were working on fixing something in a hotel room.
The video, which was filmed by Dembele while the duo were in Japan, has started to make the rounds on social media. And predictably Twitter has been abuzz to condemn their actions, with some quick to issue harsh statements. So, naturally, Griezmann and Dembele have been quick to apologize for their behavior, using both Instagram and Twitter to issue their statements.
Dembele noted on Instagram that ""It took place in Japan, but could've taken place anywhere on the planet and I would've used the same expression.
"I was therefore not targeting any community. I just happened to use this type of expression with my friends regardless of their origins.
"This video has since been made public. I appreciate therefore that it could've hurt the people present in these images. Because of this, I would like to sincerely apologise to them".
Griezmann took to Twitter and mentioned that "I have always been completely against all forms of discrimination.
"For the past few days, certain people have wanted to paint me as someone that I am not. I firmly refute the accusations made against me and I'm sorry if I have offended any of my Japanese friends".
No word as to whether either player will face punishment from either Barcelona, the France Football Federation or the Spanish Football Association, but hopefully this apology will suffice to calm any ruffled feathers and the two players will use this as a valuable learning experience.
