The Korean Football Association (KFA) has formally expressed “serious concerns” to FIFA following an incident in which Wolves’ forward Hwang Hee-chan was allegedly subjected to a racist remark by a Como player during a pre-season friendly.
The incident occurred during Monday’s friendly match in Marbella, Spain. Hwang reported the alleged remark, which Como acknowledged involved a reference to Hwang’s name.
While the Italian club dismissed the comment as non-racist and claimed the reaction from Wolves players exaggerated the situation, Wolves and Hwang firmly maintain that the remark was indeed racist.
Wolves are collaborating with the English Football Association to formalize their complaint, which will be submitted to both UEFA and the Italian FA. UEFA has stated it lacks jurisdiction over the matter as it was not a UEFA-sanctioned competition.
In response, the KFA has escalated the issue to FIFA.
In a statement, the KFA said: “In an official letter sent to FIFA on July 18, the Korea Football Association expressed serious concern about the racist behaviour suffered by Hwang Hee-chan from an opposing team player during a recent practice match, and issued a call to prevent racial discrimination occurring on the soccer field. In order to eradicate it, we asked FIFA to further strengthen sanctions against perpetrators.”
Wolves reported that the incident took place midway through the second half of the match, during which forward Daniel Podence was sent off for retaliating with a punch.
Wolves’ manager, Gary O’Neil, consulted Hwang about whether to abandon the game, but the 28-year-old chose to continue. Wolves eventually won the match 1-0.
Following the incident, Hwang took to Instagram to express his feelings: “Racism is intolerable in sports and in all aspects of life.
After the incident, the coaching staff and my team-mates immediately told me that they would leave the field with me if needed, and they kept checking on my wellbeing. I am very grateful to my team-mates once again.”