Burger King Apologizes For Ad Promising Whoppers For Life If A World Cup Player Impregnates You

Burger King’s Russian division really wants women to produce all-star athletes. So much so that it even put up an advertisement offering a big reward if they have children with a World Cup soccer player. But now the company is apologizing for the ad that many people deemed offensive.

The now-deleted ad — featuring a very pregnant woman cradling a large belly bump — hit Twitter on Tuesday, June 19, promising a lifetime supply of Whoppers and 3 million rubles (about $47,500) to those who can deliver a little one with “the best football genes” in order to secure “the success of the Russian national team on several generations ahead,” reported Newsweek.

However, just one day later, Burger King’s Russian corporate office issued apologies for the sexist ad.

“We apologize for the statement we made,” BK stated on the country’s social media platform VK. “It turned out to be too insulting. We thank you for the feedback and hasten to inform you that we have already removed all materials related to the application.”

Burger King also released an official apology via its media relations department. “We are sorry about the clearly offensive promotion that the team in Russia launched online,” the company said, as per an official statement obtained by Fox News. “As soon as it was brought to our attention, we had it removed. It certainly does not reflect our brand or our values, and we are taking steps to ensure this type of activity does not happen again.”

According to another story from Fox News, the demeaning ad comes just one week after Tamara Pletnyova, the head of a parliamentary committee on family matters, encouraged Russian women to not engage in sexual acts with foreign men visiting the country for the World Cup. “There probably will be girls who will meet [foreign fans] and have children,” Pletnyova reportedly said during an interview with a radio station. “Maybe there will be such girls or maybe not, I hope, maybe they will think better of it.”

Pletnyova added, “I would like to see people in our country to get married for love. It doesn’t matter what nationality they are [as long as] they are Russian citizens. I want to see them build good families, live in harmony, have children and raise them, this is what I would like to see.”

https://www.facebook.com/burgerking/photos/a.160996107247067.44295.134615383218473/1933765446636782/?type=3&theater

Burger King launched its very first restaurant in 1954 in Miami, Florida. The first store in Russia opened its doors in January 2010.