Wolverhampton striker Hwang Hee-chan reported his first pre-season score in a friendly match.
He erased his pain and suffering from racial discrimination at the last game with a goal. He showed off his skills.
Wolverhampton reported on the club’s website that it won 3-0 in a practice match against Bristol City in the English Championship (second division) at Compton Park on the 21st (Korea time). The match was played for a total of 120 minutes in four quarters, 30 minutes each, not 90 minutes each for the first and second half of 45 minutes each.
“Mateus Cunha and Hwang Hee-chan scored goals, and the opposing defender scored an own goal,” Wolverhampton said, adding, “Gary O’Neill (Wolverhampton coach)’s team can have a better time as they continue to prepare for the 2024-2025 season.”
Hwang Hee-chan’s score shone through his excellent positioning. According to Wolverhampton, Pablo Sarabia crossed in the 7th minute of the second half and Bristol’s goalkeeper failed to catch it. The ball fell in front of Hwang Hee-chan. Hwang Hee-chan pushed it in and gave the team its second goal. Hwang Hee-chan also played with the captain’s armband during the game.
Following its 1-0 win over Como, Wolverhampton also won against Bristol to post its second consecutive pre-season win. Although no official pre-season match has begun, it has won two consecutive games behind closed doors to prepare for the new season.
In the meantime, there was also a shock to Wolverhampton. Hwang Hee-chan was racist in the match against Como.
Hwang Hee-chan’s racism occurred during a practice match between Wolverhampton and Como, Italy, in Marveya, Spain, on the 16th. Wolverhampton had its last practice game after training in Marveya, and the opponent was Como, who was promoted to Serie A in the 2024-2025 season.
In the middle of the second half, a Como defender made racist remarks to Hwang Hee-chan.
Colleagues were more angry at racism than Hwang Hee-chan. “Players from both teams stormed in the 23rd minute of the second half when Wolves was leading 1-0, and Fodense was immediately sent off by swinging his fist at the defender,” said Liam Keane of the British media Express and Star.
Wolverhampton manager O’Neill suggested that Hwang Hee-chan, who was racist, quit the game, but Hwang Hee-chan asked to continue the game calmly and the game lasted until 90 minutes.
Wolverhampton said on the club’s official website, “Racism or any form of discrimination is completely unacceptable and should never be challenged. Wolves will file an official complaint with UEFA regarding the incident.”
Wolverhampton teammates also voiced their support for Hwang Hee-chan through their SNS, and South Korean captain Son Heung-min also supported him, saying, “I’m always on your side.”
However, Como’s reaction was brazen-faced. “We do not condone racism and strongly condemn all racism,” Como said in an official statement on Wednesday night. “We talked to find out what the defender in question said. Immediately after the incident, he said to his fellow defender, “Just ignore him, and Hwang Hee-chan thinks he is Jackie Chan himself.” After hearing this, Hwang Hee-chan reported the incident, and his teammates became enraged.
The club added, “After a long conversation with our player, we are confident that this was related to Hwang Hee-chan’s name and his colleagues’ call Hwang Hee-chan “Chani.” He borrowed “Chani” and called it Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan (Seongryong), but it had nothing to do with racism.
“We are disappointed that the incident was overstated by the reaction of some Wolverhampton players,” he said, pointing out Wolverhampton players. 메이저놀이터
UEFA, which Wolverhampton asked for help, also expressed its absurd position that it could not investigate the game because it was not organized by them.
Hwang Hee-chan could feel helpless in a situation where neither the opposing team nor UEFA helped except for the club and his colleagues, but he showed off his skills by reporting a score in the first practice game afterwards.
Hwang Hee-chan had his best season with 12 goals in 29 Premier League appearances in the 2023-2024 season. It was his first double-digit score in the league since entering the Premier League in August 2021 and his most since scoring 16 goals in Salzburg, Austria, in the 2019-2020 season. Including the League Cup, he scored 13 goals.
Wolverhampton signed a new contract with Hwang Hee-chan, who is in his best season, to stay with the team until 2028 with an increase in salary at the end of last year. The existing contract was until 2026, but the club, which expressed satisfaction with his performance, extended the contract until 2028.
Hwang Hee-chan raised his confidence by scoring from the second practice game. Wolverhampton, who won both closed practice games, is expected to play its first official pre-season game against West Ham United on the 28th.
