"It Was Jackie Chan Calling, But It's Overstated"... Hwang Hee-chan's Club Owner's Absurd Explanation on Racism

Hwang Hee-chan Faces Racist Remarks in Friendly Match Against Como
Como: "We Did Not Speak Contemptuously"

Italian Serie A club Como 1907, which caused controversy for making racist remarks against Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) during a practice match, has issued an official statement.

According to Yonhap News Agency, "On the 16th (local time), Como 1907 released a statement on behalf of the club through its social media channels."

According to the statement, Como said, "Our club does not tolerate racism and opposes all forms of discrimination." It added, "After asking the defender involved, he said to a teammate, 'Ignore Hwang Hee-chan. He thinks he is Jackie Chan,'" and further explained, "Hwang Hee-chan's teammates have also called him 'Channy'." The explanation was that since Wolverhampton players called Hwang Hee-chan 'Channy,' their own defender also called him 'Jackie Chan.' 'Jackie Chan' is the English name of the actor 성룡 (Seong Ryong).

On the afternoon of the 22nd of last month, an interview was conducted with the press at the '2024 Hwang Hee-chan Football Festival' held at the lawn square of Bucheon City Hall, Gyeonggi Province. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Como also stated, "Our players never spoke in a contemptuous manner," and expressed disappointment that "the incident has been exaggerated too much due to some Wolverhampton players." While Wolverhampton took a strong stance by deciding to report the matter to the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Como instead pointed out the overreaction of Wolverhampton players and responded with a defiant attitude.

Earlier, Wolverhampton played a practice match against Como in Marbella, Spain, the previous day. During the match, Hwang Hee-chan, who was substituted in the second half, heard racist remarks from an opposing player at the 23rd minute of the second half. Enraged, his teammate Daniel Podence punched the player who made the racist remarks and was subsequently sent off.

Hwang Hee-chan also responded to the incident through his Instagram account, stating, "Racism is intolerable not only in sports but in all aspects of life." He said, "After the incident, the coaching staff and teammates kept checking on me, saying, 'If you want, you can leave the field,' and I am once again grateful to my teammates."