Broadcaster Fabian Targeted by Malicious Comments After Supporting Lee Kang-in

Fabian publicly supports PSG and Lee Kang-in
Some netizens flood Fabian's SNS with malicious comments

Amid the revelation of a conflict between soccer national team player Lee Kang-in (22, Paris Saint-Germain) and captain Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham Hotspur), Fabian (36), a passionate PSG fan and French-born broadcaster who has openly supported Lee Kang-in, is facing backlash.

Broadcaster Fabian (left) and soccer player Lee Kang-in [Image source: Fabian Instagram capture]

On the 15th, Fabian's social media and YouTube channel 'Paris Saint-Germain' received a flood of critical comments targeting both Fabian and Lee Kang-in. Fabian has publicly shown his 'fan affection' for Lee Kang-in. In July last year, Fabian uploaded a video titled 'Meeting Lee Kang-in' on his YouTube channel, which garnered 1.14 million views. During the recent Asian Cup, he personally visited the Qatar stadium and cheered for Lee Kang-in, wearing a taekwondo uniform with 'Lee Kang-in' written in English on the back. Recently, he also posted a video titled 'Korea's Failure: What Went Wrong? Honest Thoughts from a Qatari and a Frenchman' on 'Paris Saint-Germain.'

Some netizens left harsh comments for Fabian, such as "Stop covering Lee Kang-in content now," "You who support Lee Kang-in are the same kind of person," "I hope you stop supporting him," and "If you want to support Lee Kang-in, go back to your own country." On the other hand, some expressed support with comments like "Stay strong, Fabian," "Fabian did nothing wrong," "It might be better for your mental health not to upload videos until the issue is resolved," and "I came to the channel intentionally because I’m worried about Fabian."

Fabian launched his YouTube channel in June last year when news of Lee Kang-in's transfer to PSG broke, providing content related to Lee Kang-in and PSG. He is a French-born broadcaster, model, and actor currently active in Korea, and was formerly a member of the French national youth taekwondo team.

Meanwhile, the controversy over Lee Kang-in's alleged assault was first reported by the British tabloid The Sun. On the 13th (local time), The Sun reported, "Tottenham star Son Heung-min dislocated his finger during a scuffle with a teammate the day before the Asian Cup elimination."

The Korea Football Association stated the previous day, "The reported details are largely accurate," adding, "Son Heung-min expressed dissatisfaction with younger players who left early to play table tennis, and during the ensuing dispute with the younger players, Son injured his finger." As the controversy grew, Lee Kang-in’s side, through legal representatives, said, "Lee Kang-in deeply regrets and reflects on his mistakes," but also stated, "There are inaccuracies being exaggerated and reproduced as if they were facts."