From a friendly to a ten-game suspension. FIFA suspends Como player for insulting South Korean striker Hwang

FIFA has suspended Marco Curto, a defender for Italian club Como. He was given a ten-match suspension for a racial slur against South Korean striker Hwang Hee-chan. The incident took place during a friendly against Wolverhampton Wanderers last July.

• Curto received a ten-match sentence, half of which was suspended
• FIFA ordered the player to perform community service and undergo training
• Wolves have reported the incident to UEFA and welcome FIFA’s decision

According to reports, Curto, a defender for Italian club Como, allegedly told his teammate in defence during a friendly against Wolverhampton Wanderers: ” Ignore him (Hwang), he thinks he’s Jackie Chan.”

Curto directed the comment at South Korean striker Hwang Hee-chan. Como claimed the defender was responding to the nickname “Channy” that Hwang’s Wolves teammates used during the game. Como initially insisted that the incident was “fictitious” and that their player did not say anything derogatory.

However, FIFA found the player guilty of discriminatory behaviour and handed him a ten-match ban, half of which is suspended for two years. This decision suggests that FIFA considered Curt’s comment to be racist, regardless of Como’s original explanation.

FIFA steps up fight against racism in football

FIFA has significantly toughened penalties for racism in recent years. President Gianni Infantino announced a “global fight against racism” at the last congress in Bangkok, with five areas of action, including mandatory sanctions for racist incidents during matches.

“Racism is a plague that exists in our society and has infiltrated football,” Infantino said. “For too long we have not been able to deal with it adequately. We must stand up and fight against racism and defeat it together.”

“We welcome FIFA’s decision to punish Marco Curto following a discriminatory incident during our preliminary match against Como 1907,” said Matt Wild, Wolverhampton’s sporting director. “The punishment meted out to the player sends a clear message that racism and discriminatory behaviour will not be tolerated in football or society.”

The context of racist incidents in football

Racism remains a pressing problem in world football. Recently, a Spanish league match between Getafe and Sevilla was abandoned because of racist insults directed at Marcos Acuña. Real Madrid’s Brazilian star Vinícius Júnior has also been repeatedly targeted by racist attacks.

In the Czech Republic, Petr Rada’s racist remarks were punished with a ban. He was initially given an eight-month ban, which was later reduced to three months.

Source: The Guardian, Wolves, X