Outside Son Heung-min, Inside Arsenal... Football Fans Wearing Rival Uniforms Face Backlash

The Most Intense 'Buk London Derby' in the EPL
East Asian Man Wearing Overlapping Uniforms at the Stadium Faces Backlash

In the English Premier League (EPL), a deeply rooted rivalry known as the 'North London Derby' between Tottenham and Arsenal has sparked controversy after it was revealed that an East Asian spectator attending the match wore the two teams' uniforms layered together.

An East Asian man wearing a Son Heung-min jersey layered over an Odegaard jersey.
[Photo by SNS]

On the 29th (local time), the popular football-related social media account '433' shared a photo of a fan cheering at the North London Derby, commenting, "So disgusting." In the photo, an East Asian man can be seen watching the North London Derby between Tottenham and Arsenal. The man was wearing a Tottenham uniform over an Arsenal uniform; the white Tottenham jersey with the name SON (Son Heung-min) clearly revealed the Arsenal jersey of Martin Ødegaard underneath. The nationality of the man in the photo has not been confirmed.

Tottenham and Arsenal are clubs based in North London, England, whose fans harbor such intense rivalry that they consider each other enemies. The North London Derby took place at Tottenham’s home stadium. This rivalry extended inside the stadium, with cheers and jeers from both sets of fans captured on camera during the match. Additionally, it is a global norm, including in the K League, that away team uniforms are not worn in the home stands to prevent potential conflicts that could escalate into serious fights.

This controversy has escalated into racial discrimination. Netizens who saw the photo have expressed discriminatory remarks such as "Absolutely despicable," "They should be found and banned from entering the stadium," "As an Arsenal fan, it seems like he was pretending to be a Son Heung-min fan," "Judging by liking Son Heung-min, he seems to be a Korean man," "Are Korean people really that disrespectful?" and "Koreans should be banned from entering stadiums."

Meanwhile, on the same day, Tottenham lost 2-3 at home against Arsenal in the 35th round of the 2023-2024 Premier League at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, UK. Tottenham conceded three goals in the first half but scored two in the second half, raising hopes for a draw; however, the equalizer never came, and Arsenal secured the victory. As a result, Tottenham remains in 5th place in the league, moving further away from the UEFA Champions League (UCL, top 4 qualification), while Arsenal solidified their position at the top. Currently, the point gap between 4th place Aston Villa and 5th place Tottenham is 7 points.