BBC uses photo of the WRONG George Floyd to illustrate bulletin about his funeral - substituting image of former American Footballer with the same name

The BBC suffered an embarrassing blunder last night as it broadcast a picture of the wrong George Floyd during the funeral of the man killed by police in Minneapolis.

The Corporation aired the picture of former New York Jets American Footballer George Floyd rather than the 46-year-old of the same name whose death sparked race protests across the world.  

The segment went on to correctly describe the late Mr Floyd's 'champion' high-school basketball and football history, and also included correct images of him just seconds later. 

But the inclusion of the still-living ex-pro footballer Mr Floyd's image is sure to leave BBC chiefs aghast. 

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George Floyd died after police officer Derek Chauvin put his knee on his neck in Minneapolis on May 25 for nearly nine minutes

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The BBC shared a picture of the former American football player George Floyd (pictured) to illustrate the man who was killed by police last month

The feature also noted Mr Floyd's height as 6ft 6 inches despite the American football player's height reportedly reaching only 5ft 11 inches.

The error comes as demonstrations continue to increase around the world after George Floyd, an African American man, died after police officer Derek Chauvin put his knee on his neck in Minneapolis on May 25 for nearly nine minutes.

Following the death of Mr Floyd, three other officers who were also present at the scene, Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao – were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. 

Earlier today hundreds of mourners, including celebrities Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx, attended the funeral of George Floyd in Houston, Texas.  

The service began with gospel music and saw members of George Floyd's family  walking down the aisle dressed in white to celebrate his life. 

During a eulogy, Reverend Al Sharpton said: 'God took the rejected stone and made him the cornerstone of a movement that's gonna change the whole wide world.'    

MailOnline has contacted the BBC for comment.  

The mishap comes just hours after England rugby union player Ellis Genge slammed the BBC after they incorrectly used a picture of Lewis Ludlam in an interview posted on their website. 

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A picture of the former NFL player George Floyd was mistakenly used by the broadcaster 

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The BBC went on to share the correct image of George Floyd (right) just seconds later 

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Following the death of Mr Floyd (right) demonstrations have continued to increase around the world demanding justice

Mr Genge took to Twitter to share his frustrations with the mishap in a message which read: 'I'm actually f***ed off with this happening to every mixed race/black sportsperson. 

'Must be the 15th time in less than a year just between me and @LewisLudlam'.

His team mate Mr Ludlam also replied saying it was 'not the first time this has happened'. 

A BBC spokesperson said in a statement to Yahoo Sport: 'We apologise for this human error which fell below our usual standards on the website.'  

Following the error the former England captain Will Carling called the incident 'just shocking'.           

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Earlier today England rugby union player Ellis Genge slammed the BBC for using a picture of Lewis Ludlam (C) in an interview with him