Son Heung-min cheered for Hwang Hee-chan, who suffered racism during the friendly match.
Hwang Hee-chan said on his SNS on the 17th (Korea Standard Time), “Racism is unacceptable in all aspects of sports and life. Thank you to everyone who showed support.” Son Heung-min commented, “I’m next to you.”
Wolverhampton had a friendly match with Como 1907 on the 16th. Hwang Hee-chan participated in the match, and he was racist by his opponent in the middle of the second half. After hearing this, his teammate Daniel Podense was sent off after swinging his fist because he couldn’t contain his anger.
After the match, Wolverhampton said, “No form of racism is acceptable. It should never be neglected. We will file a formal complaint with UEFA regarding this incident.”
Wolverhampton manager Gary O’Neill also said, “I heard Hwang Hee-chan make racist remarks. I’m really disappointed. I talked to Hwang Hee-chan. He wanted to keep running and do what the team needed to do. I’m really disappointed that this happened.”
“Racism should not happen. It is natural and understandable to be disappointed. However, I am proud of myself for trying to continue the game by considering my team first at a difficult time.”
Como, however, gave an unexpected answer. “We talked to find out what he said to the defender in question. He said to a fellow defender, “He (Hwang Hee-chan) is ignored, he thinks he is Jackie Chan.”
“Jackie Chan” is often used to disparage Asians overseas. However, Como claimed, “After having a detailed discussion with the player, we are confident that this has to do with Wolverhampton players continuing to mention ‘Channy’ in the stadium.” 룸알바
“Our club believes that the player did not make any deliberate disparaging comments. We regret that the incident has escalated too much due to the reaction of some Wolverhampton players,” he added.
Later, Hwang Hee-chan made an official statement. He said on his SNS, “Racism is unacceptable in every aspect of sports and life. After the incident, my coaches and teammates confirmed my condition, saying they would leave the stadium with me.”
Hwang Hee-chan said, “I’m really grateful to the team members. Despite all this, I wanted to continue playing. We did what we had to do on the field. Thank you to everyone for the support. There can be no racism.”
Son Heung-min cheered for Hwang Hee-chan. “I’m by your side,” Son said in the comments, adding a hashtag “No room for racism.” “We’re with you, Hee-chan” on Wolverhampton’s official SNS.
Meanwhile, it is unlikely that a player who discriminates against Como will be disciplined. The Athletic explained, “Wolverhampton wants UEFA to investigate, but UEFA told us that friendly matches do not fall under its jurisdiction.”