Spanish and Dutch stars slammed for appearing to mock the haka after arriving in New Zealand

Ahead of the Women’s World Cup, players from the Spanish and Dutch national teams have come under fire for seemingly mocking the Maori haka.

Both teams arrived in New Zealand last week in preparation for the tournament, which kicks off in Auckland next Thursday.

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But just days into their respective training camps, two separate video clips appeared on social media that appeared to show some players mimicking the haka, a ritual Maori dance.

It’s a video of 4 people Spain Players attempting the traditional dance briefly appeared on the national team’s social media channels on Saturday night before being taken down.

of netherlands national team He was also heavily criticized for posting a similar clip on Instagram that appeared to show one player attempting to dance, which was later deleted.

The Royal Dutch Football Association quickly defended the video after the backlash.

spokesperson said telegraph paper: “Online video clips are part of the training [session] The team recently went to Holland.

“For the physical part of the training, the team performed exercises that focused on building inner strength, but never referenced or imitated the haka.

“It was never my intention to be disrespectful to anyone.

“In sports, the haka is known and admired by all professional athletes, and the Dutch women’s football team is no exception.

“Our visit World Cup in Australia and New Zealand It provides an opportunity to learn more about both host countries. We look forward to our stay and the Pofiri ceremony that awaits us. ”

FIFA declined to comment on the issue.

The football governing body said in a short statement: “This is a team matter and we will refrain from commenting.”

Spain will start their World Cup matches against Costa Rica on Friday 21 July, while the Netherlands will face Portugal two days later.