TMZ SPORTS - Here's Argentinian soccer stud Ezequiel Lavezzi striking that stupid pose racist people do when trying to impersonate a Chinese person.
The photo was part of a promotional shoot for Lavezzi's pro team in the Chinese Super League. EL says he was just trying to make "funny faces ... for entertainment purposes."
Once the pic surfaced online, people were pissed -- saying the pic is racially insensitive ... because it is.
Lavezzi says he had "no intention of insulting the Chinese people and did not do it with any bad intentions."
He added, "I deeply apologize if this photo has offended the Chinese public and fans. I will be more careful in the future."
As the resident soccer expert here at Fox Sports Radio, I will break down who Ezequiel Lavezzi is for you right now. He plays alongside Messi for country, and plays in China for club. He moved from PSG to China in order to get paid somewhere in the ballpark of a trillion yen, because Asian countries are paying for talent right now. His story is the equivalent of Rodney Hood moving to Spain to play in the Pro League there because he was offered $40 million per year.
Now that you understand the backstory, we can tackle the story.
Who in their right mind snapped this photo, and published it?
Who was in the room while this was just an idea?
Who lets this photo get out in the public?
I have so many questions and they all circle back to the same point. Someone was not aware how racist this was until it got out to the public. Actually, everyone in the entire process who saw this before it hit social media has to be held responsible. It is so clearly a horrible idea, that I have to believe it's all a hoax or something?
Seriously, what were you thinking Lavezzi?