![Fans cheer in the stands during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A opener between South Korea and the Czech Republic at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan, Guadalajara, Mexico, on Friday. The image is unrelated to the article. [Yonhap]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/14/rcv.YNA.20260612.PYH2026061212820001300_P1.jpg)
A Mexican man has drawn international condemnation after video captured him making a racist gesture toward a Korean influencer inside a 2026 FIFA World Cup stadium.
The incident occurred Friday in the stands at Estadio Guadalajara in Guadalajara, Mexico, during the Group A opener between South Korea and the Czech Republic, according to Mexican outlets Infobae and Politico.
The victim is a Korean content creator known as "Inonyang," who has 6.6 million subscribers.
She was filming a selfie video to capture the atmosphere in the stands during the South Korea-Czech Republic match when the incident appeared on camera. A man seated behind her, wearing a white T-shirt bearing the Mexican national team's emblem, looked directly at the camera and pulled the corners of his eyes back with his index fingers — a widely recognized racist gesture targeting people of East Asian descent.
The gesture has previously drawn sanctions in Korean football: Jeonbuk Hyundai coach Tariqe was expelled from K League after making the same gesture toward a referee.
After Inonyang posted the video on social media asking, "Am I being too sensitive?", it spread rapidly online. Outraged Mexican internet users then moved to identify the man.
He was identified as Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes, president of the Jalisco State Association of Surveyors and Geomatics Engineers (CITGEJ). The revelation that he leads an organization representing academic events and institutional forums — rather than being an ordinary spectator — has intensified calls for accountability.
Mexican outlet Politico sharply condemned Miramontes' behavior as "a shameful act of mockery against a female spectator." Local internet users have flooded Inonyang's post with apologies, writing "not all of us are ignorant," while also demanding his resignation as president. Neither the association nor Miramontes has issued an official apology.
min3654@heraldcorp.com
