Hwang Hee-chan “There is no place for racism.”
The withdrawal was imposed on the player who made racist remarks toward Hwang Hee-chan (28).
The BBC and “Sky Sports” reported on the 8th (Korea Standard Time) that “a player who racistly insulted Hwang Hee-chan was suspended from 10 games by FIFA.”
BBC reported that Marco Courtois, a member of Serie A Como 1907, made racist remarks to Hwang Hee-chan. “At the time of the incident, UEFA and the Italian Football Association did not take any disciplinary action. This is because the pre-season game was not hosted by UEFA.”
The racist incident against Hwang Hee-chan happened on July 16. At that time, Wolverhampton played a pre-season practice game with Italian professional football Serie A Como 1907. Hwang Hee-chan, who was replaced, heard racist words from Como in the 23rd minute of the second half. Courtois told Como colleagues, “Just ignore Hwang Hee-chan, you know you’re Jackie Chan.” In response, Wolverhampton’s teammate Daniel Podense was outraged and punched and the situation was so serious that he was sent off.
Fodense is a Portuguese striker who wore a Wolverhampton jersey in 2020. He joined Wolverhampton ahead of the new season after spending last season on loan at Olympiacos in Greece. He played with 스포츠토토 Hwang Hee-chan for two seasons from 2021.
Coach Gary O’Neill said after the match, “Chani (Hwang Hee-chan) heard a really disappointing racist remark. I asked if he wanted to quit the game, but he wanted to keep playing.” He added, “I am proud of the fact that he put his team first even in difficult moments. Hwang Hee-chan will be fine. He will receive full support from the club.”
However, the controversy escalated as Como made a red-hot statement. Far from an apology, the racial discrimination was a misunderstanding and Wolverhampton overreacted. Como said on social media that the day after the incident, “I had a conversation with Courto to understand the situation, and when Hwang Hee-chan was called Chan by his colleagues, he seemed to think that he was Jackie Chan. Ignore him,” he said. “I never intentionally disparaged him.” It is wrong to specify Asian appearance by calling it “Jackie Chan,” but this is an absurd explanation that it has nothing to do with racism.
“We are disappointed that the incident was overhyped by the reaction of some Wolverhampton players,” Como said, adding to the criticism.
At the time, Hwang Hee-chan also expressed his position directly on the recent controversy over racism. Hwang Hee-chan stressed on his SNS on July 17 that “racism is unacceptable not only in sports but also in every aspect of life.” “Right after the incident, the coaches and team members kept checking my situation, saying they were leaving the scene if I wanted to,” he said. “I thank my teammates once again.”
“Despite all of this, I wanted to continue (playing) and we did what we had to do,” Hwang Hee-chan said. “Thank you to everyone who sent me a message of support for the last time.” Finally, he reiterated, “There is no place for racism.”
