Despite the Italian club Como disputing the claims, the South Korean football association has formally complained to the international body regarding an alleged racist remark made towards Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang Hee-chan.
During a preseason game in Spain on Monday, an unidentified Como player was accused of calling Hwang “Jackie Chan,” a well-known Hong Kong movie star best known for his martial arts flicks.
The player “did not say anything in a derogatory manner,” according to Como, which stated on Tuesday that “the reaction of certain Wolves players has seen the incident blown out of proportion.”
The Korea Football Association (KFA) said that it expressed “serious concern about the racist acts suffered by Hwang Hee-chan” in an official letter to FIFA, the global governing body, on Thursday.
The letter asked FIFA to take action and “eradicate racism on the soccer field”, the association said on its official X account Thursday.
Hwang claimed earlier this week on Instagram that following the alleged abuse, the coaching staff and his teammates promised to accompany him off the field “if needed.”
“Racism is intolerable in sports and in all aspects of life,” he added, with his post attracting more than 143,500 likes.
According to Como, its unnamed player said “ignore him, he thinks he’s Jackie Chan”.
The statement was made in “reference to the player’s name, and to the constant references of ‘Channy’ made by his own teammates on the pitch,” according to the Italian Club.
Gary O’Neill, the head coach of the Wolves, stated that Hwang had the team’s complete support.
