France and Barcelona soccer player Antoine Griezmann, who has been an ambassador for technology giant Huawei Technologies, has cut commercial ties with the company, citing China’s treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang.
“I announce that I am putting an end immediately to my partnership linking me with this company,” Griezmann, a 2018 FIFA World Cup winner with France, wrote in a statement on Instagram on Thursday.
A Huawei spokesperson said that the Chinese company was saddened by Griezmann’s decision.
Photo: Reuters
“We would like to extend an invitation to speak to him personally, to explain the work that is currently being done at the highest level, inside the company, to address the issues of human rights, equality and discrimination at all levels,” the spokesperson said.
The UN estimates that more than 1 million Uighurs and other Muslims have been detained in China’s Xinjiang region.
China has denied any abuses and says its camps in the region provide vocational training and help fight extremism.
The striker’s decision followed a report in the Washington Post on Tuesday that Huawei had tested software capable of sending automated alerts when surveillance cameras recognize Uighurs.
The article cited a document that it said was signed by Huawei representatives showing that the company had worked with a start-up called Megvii to test artificial intelligence capable of triggering an automated “Uighur alarm.”
Huawei on Thursday described the language used in the document as “completely unacceptable,” adding that it was a description of functions provided by Megvii and the document was approved by a subcontractor, not by Huawei.
“It is not compatible with the values of Huawei,” the spokesperson said. “Our technologies are not designed to identify ethnic groups. Nondiscrimination is at the heart of our values as a company.”
The Washington Post cited Megvii in a response to its original story as saying its systems were not designed to target or label ethnic groups.
Griezmann had been an ambassador for Huawei since 2017, and he also worked with the company while at former club Atletico Madrid, including endorsing an Atletico-branded smartphone in 2016.
His Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi became a Huawei ambassador earlier this year.
Barcelona declined to comment on Griezmann’s decision.
Arsenal and former Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil in December last year criticized China’s treatment of Uighurs.
There was a strong backlash in China against Ozil, a German Muslim of Turkish origin, and he was removed from the Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 video game in the nation.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Ozil’s comments and state broadcaster China Central Television dropped Arsenal’s English Premier League match against Manchester City from its schedule.
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
INDIGESTION: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a 4-1 defeat to Bosnia on penalties in a loss Gattuso said was ‘difficult to digest’ Coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday challenged his players to “shock the world” after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also secured their places at the finals. Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and are to play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. Goals from Ali al-Hamadi
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
RSS