Pepsi apologises over Ronaldo voodoo pictures

Pepsi has apologised to soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo over a series of offensive posts on its Facebook page.

The soft drink giant offered “sincere and profound apologies” to the football star after posting a photo of a voodoo doll Ronaldo tied to railway tracks.

The picture was posted on Pepsi’s official Facebook page in Sweden on the day the Swedes took on Ronaldo’s Portugal in a crucial World Cup qualifier.

The doll wore Portugal’s red strip and Ronaldo’s number 7, with the caption “We’re going to pass over Portugal”.

Another photo showed the doll Ronaldo’s head crushed by a Pepsi can and a third showed it full of voodoo needles.

Pepsi apologised to the Real Madrid star, and to the Portuguese national team.

Thousands of Portuguese fans threatened to boycott the drink. Ronaldo, 28, had the last laugh as he scored a hat-trick in his side’s 3-2 victory over Sweden on Tuesday to ensure Portugal’s place in Brazil next summer.

Pepsi, which sponsors Ronaldo’s rival, Leo Messi, said: “Football is known for the passion it inspires and the competition is getting more intense. We never wanted to give the sport a negative connotation.

“Sorry to all those who were offended by the posts. They were immediately removed.

“We also offer our most sincere and profound apologies to Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese national side.”