An Irish newspaper today apologised to grime star Stormzy after running a picture of him instead of £75million footballer Romelu Lukaku on its back page.
The Irish Herald published a story on the 24-year-old star's first interview since moving to Manchester United, with the headline: "Lukaku is ready for work".
However, the photo accompanying the story was of Stormzy posing in a tracksuit of the club he supports, cropped from an image of him posing next to David Beckham, according to Daily Mail.
Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku while playing for Everton. Photo/Getty Images
Rapper Stormzy performs at the Glastonbury Festival. Photo/AP
Herald editor Alan Steenson said today: "Hands up, we got it badly wrong. Earlier, we made an error with a picture of Romelu Lukaku that wasn't him. It was Stormzy.
"To be honest, we are totally embarrassed and want to say sorry to all involved and our readers for the error. We will keep our eye on the ball in future."
As soon as the mistake was spotted by readers in Ireland and posted online, social media erupted into a frenzy, with many flabbergasted as to how the error happened.
Stormzy himself has reacted angrily to the confusion, and tweeted: "I don't find none of this funny - don't wanna sound like the party pooper who missed the joke..."
Photo/Twitter
One user jokingly speculated at how the conversation in the newsroom might have gone.
He tweeted: "Is there a picture of Lukaku in United shirt yet?" "Nah, just use Stormzy instead". Others described the situation as "a mare" and "passive racism."
Meanwhile, Lukaku will be spared a court appearance in Los Angeles after an embarrassing brush with the law.
Lukaku was arrested for "excessive noise" during what is said to have been a boisterous party at his rented holiday home in Beverly Hills last Sunday.
The striker was not handcuffed or taken to a station but officers had already responded to five separate complaints that evening.
He was given a citation and is likely to pay a nominal fine, with a court date set for October 2.
