Argentinian women's football team risks Olympics race row by making 'slit-eyed' gestures

Argentina's women's football team, which lost all its matches in Beijing, were pictured pulling the skin away from their eyes to impersonate Chinese facial features.

The picture follows two similar images of the Spanish Olympic basketball men's and women's teams which were widely criticised. 

Criticised: Members of the Argentine women's football team making the gesture before the Games

The latest photo, which emerged today, shows Argentine players Maria Potassa, Eva Gonzalez, Fabiana Vallejos and Andrea Ojeda and was printed in the Argentine sports newspaper Ole earlier this month to preview the team's first Olympic game.

In the Olympic village today, one Chinese official said: 'Even though they don't mean to offend the Chinese people, it does not make us very happy.'

The women's actions follows criticism levelled at the Spanish men's and women's basketball team over an advertisement showing the players using their fingers to make their eyes look more Chinese.

Poor taste: Spain's Olympic men's basketball team making slant-eyed gestures while posing for a publicity photo

The pictures, which has been running as a newspaper spread in Spain since last week formed part of a publicity campaign for team sponsor Seur and is being used only in Spain.

Point guard Jose Manuel Calderon insisted the team was responding to a request from the photographer and the team didn't mean to cause offence.