Juventus FC Women shockingly posts racist tweet

Juventus FC Women, a soccer club based in Italy, tweeted a picture of a player slanting her eyes in an image many found racist.

The player, Cecilia Salvai, used her fingers to slant her eyes while wearing a cone on her head, and the tweet included emojis doing the same.

The photo faced immediate backlash and was removed after 25 minutes.

“We sincerely apologise that our tweet, which was not meant to cause controversy or have any racial undertones, may have offended anyone,” the team said in a statement about the photo, which was taken at a practice session in Barcelona. “Juventus has always been against racism and discrimination.”

The tweet came as anti-Asian hate crimes have risen over the last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

And it is not the first time the Juventus club has been embroiled in this type of controversy.

In 2019, men’s striker Moise Kean, who is black, was subjected to racist abuse by fans. He was critiqued by his teammates and coach, who said he provoked the taunts with a celebration.