Player who called Hwang Hee-chan “Jackie Chan” receives 10-match suspension for racial discrimination

[Anchor]

A player who made racist remarks towards Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton, England, has received a 10-match suspension and a severe penalty from FIFA.

FIFA has sent a strong message that it will not tolerate any remarks or actions related to racism.

This is a report by Lee Seong-hoon.

[Report]

Hwang Hee-chan was subjected to racist remarks from Como's Marco Curto during a preseason friendly match in July.

He referred to Hwang Hee-chan by the English name of Chinese movie star Jackie Chan. This derogatory term infuriated his teammate Podence, who punched Curto and was subsequently sent off.

Wolverhampton's manager Gary O'Neil also defended Hwang Hee-chan and responded immediately.

[Gary O'Neil/Manager of Wolverhampton: "...our full support. And we'll pick him up in the morning and make sure he's okay."]

The International Football Federation has imposed a 10-match suspension on Curto, stating that he is responsible for his racist behavior.

However, it explained that 5 of those matches will be suspended for two years.

This action follows FIFA's decision in 2019 to strengthen the minimum suspension for racist incidents from 5 matches to 10 matches.

Wolverhampton welcomed FIFA's decision.

They stated that this decision sends a clear message that discriminatory behavior will not be tolerated.

As punishments for racism and discriminatory actions become increasingly strict, it seems inevitable that Bentancur, who made racist remarks towards Tottenham's Son Heung-min, will also face disciplinary action, even though Son has stated that he is okay with it.

This is Lee Seong-hoon from KBS News.