Esha Gupta’s Arsenal remark: Bollywood star slammed for ‘embarrassing’ apology to Alex Iwobi after ‘racial slur’ on Instagram

The Bollywood actress is a former Miss India and avowed Arsenal supporter
Apologetic: Esha Gupta's remarks were criticised online
STR/AFP/Getty Images
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Bollywood actress Esha Gupta has faced considerable criticism online after allegedly sharing comments on social media that compared Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi to a gorilla.

The 33-year-old, who is a former Miss India and helped to launch an Arsenal kit in 2017, shared a screenshot from a Whatsapp conversation with a friend on her Instagram Stories.

She reportedly received messages from a friend named Varun_Gupta17 following the Arsenal vs Manchester United game on Friday night, which began: “Solves our winger issues. I can’t see that gorilla faced Iwobi running down the flank again. He’s so bad ya.”

Gupta replied: “Hahahahahaha I honestly dunno why they don’t bench him more.”

Her friend then wrote: “It’s like evolution stopped for him. Didn’t change from Neanderthal to man.”

The actress deleted the screenshot from her Instagram account shortly after posting it, amid a backlash from fans.

“Guys I’m sorry you thought it was racist,” she wrote in an apologetic post. “Was bad on my part, being a sports lover. Wallah never meant it. Sorry guys forgive the stupidity.

“Well it was my fault. So gotta own up to my s*** sorry. It was us discussing our frustration during the game. Sorry as I didn’t realise it was directed towards racism.

“Laughed over spur of the moment, which was the games result guys. Been victim of racism myself before. But this is not something I’m proud of. It was a fault, sorry guys.”

However, Twitter users weren’t entirely convinced by the apology, with one commenter describing her response as “embarrassing.”

“You state on one hand you’ve suffered racism yet on the other have no idea that you’ve made a racial slur!”

Others asked the club to take action, with one fan writing: “This needs to be investigated further. A lot of us Nigerian Gooners aren’t taking it. @alexiwobi is our boy. We will not stand and watch him be dehumanised and not act. Take note @Arsenal.”

“You’re no ambassador for our club’s values,” another added.

An Arsenal spokesperson said that Gupta is “not an official club ambassador” and condemned “racist language of this nature which has no place in our game or society.”

Standard Online has reached out to Gupta for comment.

In Pictures | Arsenal vs Man Utd | 25/01/2019

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