A BMW ad that showed UAE football players stopping midway while singing the UAE national anthem created uproar online. In the 30-second video, Al Ain football players can be seen singing the national anthem before the match, but they suddenly stop to the sound of BMW cars and rush outside the stadium. #suspendBMWads was trending on Twitter and many online users said that the ad was in a bad taste.
Reportedly the ad has been pulled down by the German automaker. Arno Husselman, General Manager for Abu Dhabi Motors told Gulf News, “We have noted the recent concerns regarding our TV Commercial with the Al Ain Football Club.”
“As proud and loyal members of the UAE community, it was never our intention to cause any offence. We are an Emirati-owned company and so always aim to celebrate and promote the UAE’s rich values and culture, which are rightfully recognized around the world for excellence across all aspects of daily life," he added.
“Out of respect for the feedback received from the community, we have removed the commercial from all platforms and are currently making a modification to ensure there can be no further unintentional reference drawn from it. The new version will be shared online in due course,” Husselman concluded.
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