NZ footballers under fire for Jacinda Ardern tweet

Super Rugby franchise the Blues have received backlash from fans after what some labelled a "disrespectful" social media post referring to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as "Aunty Cindy".

The New Zealand government yesterday announced that professional sport will be able to return at COVID-19 alert level two, with NZ Rugby confirming that an all-Kiwi Super Rugby competition including the Blues will return in the near future, the NZ Herald reports.

Shortly after the news, the Blues shared a post across its social media channels celebrating the announcement.

"That feeling when Aunty Cindy says you can play footy again in level 2," read the post, which was attached to a picture of Blues players celebrating.

However, the use of the Prime Minister's maligned nickname sparked uproar from some fans who labelled the post "disrespectful".

“What a tone deaf trash tweet from the @BluesRugbyTeam," said one fan on Twitter. "Show some grace to the person that holds the position of Prime Minister."

The Blues’ tweet has since been deleted, while the post on Facebook was edited from "Aunty Cindy" to "Aunty Jacinda".

SOURCE