Soccer club defends player against racism accusations by Korea's Hwang Hee-chan

[Source]

Italian soccer club Como defended its player against accusations of racism after an incident with South Korean striker Hwang Hee-chan of the Wolverhampton Wanderers. During the second half of a pre-season friendly on Monday, Hwang reported that a Como player referred to him as "Jackie Chan."

• Teammates get involved: The incident angered his teammates and resulted in Wanderers player Daniel Podence punching a Como player and receiving a red card. The Wanderers intend to file a complaint with the Union of European Football Associations.

• In defense of its player: Como posted the following statement on X: "We spoke to the defender in question to understand what was said. He has told us the comment he made, to his co-defender, was 'ignore him, he thinks he's Jackie Chan.” Como's ownership group believes this comment was a reference to Hwang's name and the nickname "Channy" used by his teammates, not a racist remark. "We are disappointed that the reaction of certain Wolves players has seen the incident blown out of proportion,” they added.

Download the NextShark App:

Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today!