FIFA punishes Italian defender Marco Curto for racism. His discriminatory statement affected the South Korean Hwang Hee-chan.
Italian footballer Marco Curto has received a lengthy ban for a racist insult. Curto is said to have insulted South Korean Hwang Hee-chan from English Premier League team Wolverhampton Wanderers in a pre-season friendly match between Italian first division club Como 1907. The world association FIFA gave the 25-year-old defender a ten-game ban, half of which will be suspended for two years.
“The player Marco Curto has been convicted of discriminatory behavior,” said a FIFA spokesman. He should also do charitable work and undergo training at an organization recognized by FIFA. Curto is now on loan at Italian second division club Cesena.
Racism incident “blown out of proportion”?
Como said in the summer that the incident had been “blown out of proportion”, as the British news agency PA reported. Curto is said to have compared Hwang with the film star Jackie Chan. The defense attorney did not say anything in a derogatory manner.
Wolverhampton, in turn, welcomed FIFA’s ban. “The ban imposed on the player sends a clear message that racism and discriminatory behavior will not be tolerated in football and society,” said the club’s director of football, Matt Wild.
Source: Stern
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