Burger King apologized Wednesday after the restaurant offered Russian women free Whopper hamburgers for life and a large cash prize if World Cup players impregnate them.
The official Burger King Russia account posted the ad on one of its social media accounts, but deleted shortly after a barrage of criticism. Deadspin posted a screenshot of the ad and included a rough translation.
“Burger King, within the framework of social responsibility, has appointed a reward for girls who get pregnant from the stars of world football. Each will receive 3 million rubles, and a lifelong supply of Whoppers. For these girls, it will be possible to get the best football genes and will lay down the success of the Russian national team on several generations ahead. Forward! We believe in you!”
Burger King issued a statement apologizing for the edgy ad. “We offer apologies for the announcement we made. It was too offensive.” The fast-food joint was trying to piggyback off a social media dust-up between two Russian politicians on whether women should fraternize with foreign players.
A Russian politician ignited backlash on June 14 for imploring Russian women to avoid exploring relationships with foreign soccer players during the World Cup, which is being held in Moscow. Another lawmaker responded in kind, asking women to love and procreate during the tournament.
The kerfuffle might have been a half-serious measure to kick-start Russia’s low birthrate, which dropped 10.7 percent in 2017 compared to the previous year, according to Russia’s Federal State Statistics Service. Russia’s birthrate did not add to the population’s growth even though the country’s death rate in 2017 was down 3.9 percent compared to 2016, , according to government data.
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