Footballer handed ten-match ban after racially abusing Premier League star

FIFA has banned a footballer for ten matches for racially abusing Premier League player Hwang Hee-chan.

Marco Curto, who is on loan from Como to Italian side Cesena, was found guilty of racially insulting the Wolves striker during a pre-season friendly for his parent club in July.

Wolves complained to both the Italian Football Association and Uefa, with the latter stating that they could not intervene since the match was not under their jurisdiction.

However, Fifa intervened to examine the event after the South Korean football association contacted the organization to express their’serious worry’ about the situation.

“The player Marco Curto was found responsible for discriminatory behaviour and sanctioned with a 10-match suspension,” a FIFA representative stated.

‘Serving half of those matches is suspended for a two-year probation term, and the player is obliged to perform community service and get training and education from a Fifa-approved agency.’

The incident happened during the second half of the match between the two teams, with Wolves’ Daniel Podence being sent off for hitting an opponent in response to the statement.

Como, on the other hand, stated that Curto was only making a joke about Hwang’s well-known moniker ‘Channy’ when he added, ‘Ignore [Hwang], he thinks he’s Jackie Chan’.

‘Having talked with our player at length, we are convinced this was in reference to the player’s name, as well as the repeated allusions to ‘Channy’ made by his own teammates on the pitch,’ Mirwan Suwarso, a spokeswoman for the club’s owners, said.

‘As far as our club is concerned, our player said nothing disparaging. We are sad that several Wolves players have exaggerated the event out of proportion.

Curto joined Cesena, a second-tier team, a week after the event happened.

Matt Wild, Wolves’ director of football operations and administration, said: ‘We applaud Fifa’s decision to fine Marco Curto for the discriminatory incident during our pre-season friendly against Como 1907.

‘The player’s punishment sends a strong message that racism and discrimination will not be allowed in sport or society.’