Eom Ji-sung. [Yonhap]
Eom Ji-sung. [Yonhap]

Eom Ji-sung (24), a key figure in South Korea's Asian Games men's football gold medal run and a player for Swansea City, was allegedly subjected to racist abuse during an English professional football match.

Swansea posted a statement on its official website after Wednesday's away fixture against Millwall at The Den in London, saying allegations had been raised of "racist abuse directed at Ji-sung Eom during the second half" of the 2026-27 English Championship match.

"The club condemns all forms of discriminatory behavior," Swansea added. "We want to make it clear that there is no place for such behavior in football or anywhere in our society."

Millwall also addressed the incident through its official channels. "We are aware of this incident," the club said. "We operate a zero-tolerance policy toward any form of discriminatory behavior and will take the strongest possible action against those responsible."

Police have also launched an investigation into the incident.

The referee halted the match in the 67th minute, with the score level at 0-0.

Eom, who was listed among Swansea's substitutes, had been warming up near the touchline with a teammate at the time.

The referee walked over to the fourth official to be briefed on the situation before speaking with both managers. According to British media including the BBC, an announcement was made inside the stadium saying allegations had been raised of racist chanting and that police were using closed-circuit television footage to identify those involved.

A message urging anyone who had heard hate speech not to hesitate to report it was also displayed on the stadium's electronic boards.

Play resumed in the 73rd minute, roughly six minutes after the stoppage.

After the match, Swansea manager Vitor Matos of Portugal confirmed that the stoppage had been caused by racist behavior directed at Eom.

"We all know this cannot be accepted," Matos said. "This should not happen. We will stand by our player and be with him."

Eom was a standout performer at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which recently concluded, scoring the winning goal in the final against Japan — a 1-0 victory — and finishing the tournament with four goals and four assists as South Korea claimed its fourth consecutive gold medal in the event.

Racist incident also marred Korea match at 2026 North and Central America World Cup

Last June, a Mexican man was caught on camera making a racist eye-pulling gesture toward a South Korean female influencer cheering for the national team during South Korea's match against the Czech Republic at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.

The gesture — in which a person uses both hands to stretch the corners of their eyes sideways — is widely regarded as one of the most recognizable forms of racist mockery targeting the physical features of Asian people.

According to Mexican daily El Universal, a South Korean female influencer who had traveled to Estadio Akron in Guadalajara to support the team posted a video she had filmed inside the stadium to her social media account, Yonhap reported at the time.

In the footage, a Mexican man seated directly behind her was captured making the eye-stretching gesture toward the camera and smirking.

Internet users tracked down the man and identified him as Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes, president of the Jalisco State Association of Civil, Topographic, Geometric and Engineering Professionals (CITGEJ). As the backlash grew, Bernal Miramontes issued an apology, saying, "I wanted foreigners visiting Mexico to feel at home, but I did the exact opposite. I sincerely apologize to the influencer, to the Korean community, and to my fellow Mexicans who were disappointed by my actions."

He also announced at the time that he would step down from his position as CITGEJ president.


yul@heraldcorp.com