Griezmann apologises for 'awkward' fancy dress

Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann has apologised amid accusations of racism after posting a picture of himself in 'blackface' make-up on social media.

The France international attracted criticism after posting an image on Twitter of himself dressed as a Harlem Globetrotter, wearing a full basketball kit, an afro wig and black body and face paint in a picture captioned "80's party", along with an emoji indicating joyous laughter.

Griezmann's original post had been retweeted more than 15,000 times as the image went viral around the world.

The 26-year-old was initially unrepentant in a follow-up post, as he insisted he had done nothing wrong.

"Calm down guys," wrote the Atleti star. "I'm a fan of the Harlem Globetrotters and the good times... it's a tribute."

However, he then deleted both his initial picture and the follow-up post, instead writing: "I agree that it's awkward for me. If I hurt some people excuse me."

Je reconnais que c’est maladroit de ma part. Si j’ai blessé certaines personnes je m’en excuse.

— Antoine Griezmann (@AntoGriezmann) 17 December 2017