Ezequiel Lavezzi sorry over 'racist' picture for his Chinese club

Ezequiel Lavezzi

Ezequiel Lavezzi has apologised after making what has been interpreted as a racist gesture in promotional pictures for his Chinese Super League club Hebei China Fortune.

The 32-year-old Argentina forward was pictured pulling the corners of his eyes tight against his face in official CSL photographs. He has been accused of racism by critics and social media users in China and abroad.

Lavezzi released an apology on his club's official account on the Weibo social media platform. He wrote: "About the misunderstanding surrounding the gesture that appears in the photo, I would like to clarify the following. The photo was published on the official CSL website. I never had any bad intentions, and even less to humiliate those people of Chinese nationality."