Former Dutch footballer and coach Marco van Basten has apologized for shouting the Nazi salute "Long live the victory" during a televised interview.

In a televised interview with Fox Sports, Van Basten said "Long live the victory" in German, a Nazi salute during the Adolf Hitler era, after an interview with Heracles coach Frank Formoth before the match against Ajax.

Van Basten later apologized during the show, saying he wanted to make fun of the Germans through the Dutch broadcaster and admitted that the joke was misplaced. "I didn't mean to shock people. I apologize," he said.

Fox Sports described Van Basten's remarks as "inappropriate - not just today but any day."

It is unclear whether Van Basten will face consequences for his weekend remarks, with Dutch clubs taking a stand against racism, with a minute of silence before the matches, after a second-division match was stopped by the referee following racist chants. Against a player who has brown skin.