SBW's BMW ambassador role reviewed

Cape Town - BMW is reviewing its ambassador deal with All Blacks and Blues centre Sonny Bill Williams due to his association with controversial Muslim clerics.

This follows after the luxury car company received several complaints from community groups about the dual code international's relationship with Mufti Ismail Menk and Ebrahim Bham.

Zimbabwe-born Menk, who lives in South Africa, is known for his anti-homosexual views, and was once recorded as saying: "With all due respect to the animals, (homosexuals) are worse than those animals".

Williams has been photographed with him on several occasions and has tweeted about their friendship. When his grandmother died last year, the two-time Rugby World Cup winner also retweeted one of Menk's tweets.

BMW New Zealand spokesperson Paul Sherley revealed that Williams' contract remains unchanged but the company is reviewing his role.

"We take on board all customer complaints and consider them very seriously," Sherley told the New Zealand Herald.

"We're looking at the best way we can utilise him in his capacity, as we do with each of our ambassadors."