Euro 2020 star Ousmane Dembele in race storm for mocking Asian hotel workers in video with Antoine Griezmann
- Barcelona teammate Antoine Griezmann shown laughing along in leaked video where winger mocks technicians fixing TV
- Accusations of racism and classism as 24-year-old makes comments about ‘ugly faces’ and ‘backward language’
Barcelona and France star Ousmane Dembele has been caught up in a racism controversy after appearing to mock Asian workers in a leaked video that has been widely shared on social media.
The 24-year-old has been criticised for racism and classism over the content of the video with some social media users using the hashtag “Stop Asian Hate”.
France winger Dembele appears to say to Griezmann: “All these ugly faces, just so you can play PES [Pro Evolution Soccer], aren’t you ashamed?”
“What kind of backward language is that?” Dembele asks, among other comments, such as, “Are you technologically advanced in your country or not?” He also laughs while zooming in on one of the workers,
It appears that Dembele is the one recording the video while Griezmann laughs along after saying something inaudible at the beginning of the 42-second clip.
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The Barcelona pair have been playing for France at Euro 2020 but the video is believed to date back to 2019.
Reports from the Netherlands suggest it was during the Spanish side’s tour to Japan that summer.
Several versions of the video with Japanese subtitles were shared online, with some social media users identifying the victims of the abuse as Japanese.
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Barcelona have been sponsored by Japanese retail giants Rakuten since 2016.
The deal to be the club’s main shirt sponsor is worth a reported US$64 million per year and was due to expire at the end of the 2020-21 season but the club exercised an option to extend it until the end of next season.
If the video is indeed from a club tour to Asia then the pair would not be the first to fall foul for mocking workers in Asia.
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Griezmann is no stranger to controversy. He was criticised for wearing blackface while dressing as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters for a party in 2018.
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“Calm down friends, I am a fan of the Harlem Globetrotters and of that beautiful era, it is a tribute,” he said on Twitter, after sparking outrage.
Griezmann later deleted the picture. “I admit it’s awkward from me,” he then wrote. “If I did hurt anybody, then I apologise.”
