Malaysia's Aviation Chief has come under staunch criticism in social media after he said that one of the men who used stolen passport looks like Italian footballer, Maria Balotelli.
The comparison was made at a press conference by the Malaysia's Civil Aviation Authority head Azharudin Abdul Rahman.
Rahman had been asked to confirm an earlier assertion made by Malaysia's Home Minister that the two men who boarded missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 looked like Asians.
Rahman denied the statement by Home Minister and emphasised that one's skin colour cannot really indicate which country that person belongs to. He even gave a reference to Balotelli - a Ghanaian-born Italian footballer with AC Milan and Italian international to stress on his point.
The reference has angered many people in the social media for more than a few reasons. Firstly the reference to Balotteli was followed by an outburst of laughter in the conference - making many people feel that it could be a case of racial profiling.
Rahman referred to the footballer after initially struggling to pronounce his name, which led to an explosion of laughter in the room packed with journalists.
"Do you know a footballer by the name of Bartoli (sis)? He's an Italian. Do you know what he looks like? Balotelli," he told reporters late on Monday.
He correctly pronounced the name as Balotelli after journalists suggested it - an event that suddenly turned the serious discourse on the missing Malaysian flight to a seemingly funny chat.
Following are some of the reactions to this issue on Twitter:
@AlbertoNardelli MB asks to be left alone + treated like a normal person. Gets this. Adds to the media circus. Unnecessary. Irresponsible
— James Horncastle (@JamesHorncastle) March 10, 2014
@JamesHorncastle It's crazy. I can't believe aviation chief said that. Unbelievable. — Alberto Nardelli (@AlbertoNardelli) March 10, 2014
@MailOnline kindly tell them I also look like #Balotelli and we don't do aviation-related crime. The reference to colour is racist
— Fred Ndaga® (@fndaga) March 10, 2014
When Malaysian officials try to profile others, miserably http://t.co/TPo0sqA3kb #Balotelli #MH370 — Zashnain Zainal (@bedlamfury) March 10, 2014
Err... Rahman suggested the fake passport holders on missing flight #MH370 looked like Mario Balotelli. #whyalwayshim http://t.co/UxiZmYUSA8
— jn (@fivetwosix) March 10, 2014