Swann apologizes to South African fans for his slur on Twitter

England spinner Graeme Swann has had to apologise for a Twitter message in which he referred to South African fans as "Dutchmen".

Swann's tweets should be a highlight of the Ashes series but blogs in South Africa lit up with angry response after the spinner posted: "South Africa vs Zimbabwe on TV. Not exactly a sellout crowd. There's more ice pops in my freezer than Dutchmen in the ground."

But Swann quickly followed with this Twitter message: "Oh sorry my South African friends. I forgot about your sense of humour issues. My apologies."

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that angry fans didn't considered his apology and lambasted him online, many of whom called him "a drunken idiot".