Delta Airlines Apologizes for Insensitive Ghana World Cup Tweet

Delta Airlines is apologizing for an insensitive tweet it sent out in celebration of the United States’ 2-1 victory over Ghana in its opening game of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

As millions rejoiced in the late win for the Americans, Delta sent out a tweet with a picture of the Statue of Liberty basking in the sun and displaying the U.S. goal total next to a picture of the sun setting on the silhouette of a giraffe with Ghana’s total.

Just one catch: Giraffes don’t live in Ghana.

Delta learned a quick lesson in cultural competency as followers quickly pointed out that fact and called out the airline for its ignorance.

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@Delta @clint_dempsey @SoundersFC Congratulations on being both smug, patronising and ignorant at the same time. A giraffe on the plains?!

— Ekow Acquah (@Ekow_Acquah) June 17, 2014

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A little more than 90 minutes after the final whistle, Delta removed the offending tweet and posted an apology.

We’re sorry for our choice of photo in our previous tweet. Best of luck to all teams.

— Delta (@Delta) June 17, 2014

That tweet was followed up on Tuesday morning with a statement from the airline.

“Last night, we posted a congratulatory message on Twitter and Facebook to the U.S. soccer team on its win in a World Cup game. The message used an image of a giraffe to represent Ghana. The image was both inaccurate and inappropriate,” the statement read. “As a global airline, we understand the role images play in shaping global perceptions. We also recognize our responsibility to create messages that are both accurate and inclusive. We take this responsibility seriously.

“Yesterday, we failed to meet this responsibility. For this, we sincerely apologize.

“We have removed the image and are reviewing our processes to ensure that future images and posts reflect both our values and our global focus.”