Guðni Th. Jóhannesson had expressed dislike of tropical fruit on pizza but now says he is glad he does not have power to initiate ban

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Faced with uproar at home and a social media storm abroad, the president of Iceland has been forced to clarify his outspoken stance on one of the defining questions of the age: whether pineapple should be allowed on pizza.

Last week, answering questions from pupils at a high school in Akureyri, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson said his favourite football team was Manchester United and he was “fundamentally opposed” to pineapple on pizzas.

The president then went further, saying that if he could, he would ban the tropical fruit as a pizza topping. Understandably, Twitter and half the world’s online media went into overdrive.

On Tuesday, a statement in English and Icelandic on his Facebook page titled A Statement on the Pizza Controversy clarified his stance, saying he liked pineapple, just not on his pizzas – but could not stop people who did putting it on theirs.

“I do not have the power to make laws which forbid people to put pineapples on their pizza,” Guðni, a former history professor at the University of Iceland, wrote. “I am glad I do not hold such power.”

lalammar (@Layla_AlAmmar) Iceland's President is the hero we all need right now... #pineappleonpizza

Presidents should “not have unlimited power”, he continued. “I would not want to hold this position if I could pass laws forbidding that which I don’t like. I would not want to live in such a country. For pizzas, I recommend seafood.”

Guðni, 47, has enjoyed huge popularity since his election last June, buoyed by his decision to refuse a 20% pay rise, donate 10% of his pre-tax salary to charity, and become the first president of any country to march in a Gay Pride parade.

The president’s informal style – he has been spotted picking up a takeaway pizza on his way home from the office – has seen his approval rating soar as high as 97%, prompting some foreigners to wonder whether others might not benefit from his approach.

Mark Lawrence (@MLawrenceJourno) Iceland's President has said he would ban pineapple on pizza. The type of guy that should be leading us here in the UK

Guðni’s latest intervention in the great pizza debate, however, appeared to spark further furore on Tuesday after Iceland Magazine pointed out he had used the Icelandic word for fish products, rather than seafood.

The controversy was by now big enough to “deserve its own –gate suffix,” the magazine said.