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| ▲ Lee Myung-jae of Ulsan Hyundai FC (R) battles Oh In-pyo of Suwon FC for the ball during a K League 1 match at Suwon Stadium in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 6, 2023, in this photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This image captured from the Instagram page of Ulsan Hyundai FC player Lee Myung-jae shows a racist exchange between Lee and his teammates. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
football players-racism
Football league to hold disciplinary hearing on players over racist comments
SEOUL, June 16 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean professional football league office said Friday it will open disciplinary proceedings next week on four players and an official for Ulsan Hyundai FC for making racist remarks online.
"We have told Ulsan that our disciplinary committee will meet at 2 p.m. next Thursday," an official with the Korean Professional Football League (K League) said.
The four players in question, Lee Myung-je, Lee Gyu-sung, Park Yong-woo and Jung Seung-hyun, plus an identified club official have all been asked to attend the hearing.
This is believed to be the first disciplinary session on racial discrimination in K League's 40-year history.
The comments in question were made on the Instagram page for Ulsan defender Lee Myung-jae over the weekend.
In a reply to a post, Lee Gyu-sung referred to Lee Myung-jae as a Southeast Asian player, in an apparent jab at the dark tone of his skin. Park Yong-woo even called Lee "Sasalak," after Sasalak Haiprakhon, a Thai player who spent the 2021 season with another K League 1 club, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
Jung Seung-hyun and the club official also played along in the comment section.
Fans who saw this exchange made a screen grab of the conversation and shared the image on fan community sites or with the media, accusing the players of being racist toward Southeast Asian people.
Lee Myung-jae deleted the post, while Park wrote an apology on his own Instagram page. Both the club and Ulsan head coach Hong Myung-bo issued apologies earlier this week. Ulsan also said they will issue their own penalties on the players.
"We asked all five individuals to come to the hearing so that we can get a comprehensive understanding of the context of these comments," the K League official said. "After hearing their cases, we will determine whether we will penalize them and, if so, how severely."
According to K League regulations, players charged with making racist comments or gestures can be suspended for 10 or more matches, and can be fined at least 10 million won (US$7,845).
The Korea Football Association (KFA), the national governing body of the sport, will also consider opening its own disciplinary proceedings, following the K League's decision.
Of the quartet of players, Jung Seung-hyun and Park Yong-woo are currently on the senior men's national team for two friendly matches this month.
"The KFA may hand out punishment on players who cause damage to the integrity of the national team," a KFA official said. "We will see what the club and the K League do, and then decide whether to hold our own disciplinary session."
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