Dulux in doghouse after mocking Spurs in sponsorship announcement

LONDON (Reuters) - Paint-maker Dulux said they were "deeply sorry" for social media posts mocking Tottenham Hotspur after the Premier League club announced a new commercial sponsorship with them on Thursday.

Tottenham's official website welcomed the British brand as the club's first official paint supplier alongside photos of the iconic shaggy English sheepdog used in Dulux advertisements being given a tour of the team's gleaming new stadium.

But the gloss was rather taken off the new partnership when Dulux's Twitter feed showed posts in which Tottenham's lack of recent silverware was highlighted.

Responding to one message asking whether the dog could play centre back, Dulux's Tweet said: "He might do a better job."

Another tweet from a follower asked if Dulux will repaint the trophy cabinet, prompted a reply that surfaces should be "dust free" before painting.

Another showed an empty trophy cabinet apparently for sale.

The Twitter messages were subsequently deleted but not before fans of rivals clubs stirred the pot by making fun of their Tottenham counterparts.

Spurs have not won a trophy since lifting the League Cup in 2008 and their last top-flight title success was back in 1961.

"We're deeply sorry for the posts from Dulux this morning in response to the announcement of our relationship with @SpursOfficial," the paint-maker said in a statement.

"These do not reflect how proud we are to be the Official Paint Supplier of the Club. We're investigating what happened and apologise to all Spurs fans."

Spurs manager Jose Mourinho looked bemused when he was asked about the controversy surrounding the Dulux sponsorship in his news conference before Friday's Premier League clash at Everton.

(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken Ferris)