October 8 – Italian defender Marco Curto has been banned for 10 matches by FIFA, five of them suspended for two years, for racially abusing Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang Hee-chan in a pre-season friendly.
Curto, who is currently on loan from Serie A Como to Serie B Cesena, will serve half of the punishment immediately.
Curto was found to be responsible for discriminatory behaviour and has also been ordered to undergo training and education with an organisation approved by FIFA.
Wolves originally said it would file a complaint with UEFA after the incident in the Spanish resort of Marbella that sparked an angry response from Hwang’s team-mates and led to the dismissal of Wolves winger Daniel Podence for punching a Como player.
UEFA was powerless to act because it was not a match under their jurisdiction. But the Korean Football Association got involved, with Hwang a South Korea international, and reported the incident to FIFA.
“We welcome FIFA’s decision to sanction Marco Curto following the discriminatory incident during our pre-season friendly against Como 1907,” the Premier League club’s Director of Football Matt Wild said in a statement.
“The suspension issued to the player sends a clear message that racism and discriminatory behaviour will not be tolerated in football or society.
“Wolves will always stand firmly against racism and discrimination in any form, and we remain fully committed to creating an environment where everyone feels respected and included.”
In July, while condemning racism, Como said that Curto had referred to Hwang as ‘Jackie Chan’ – the Hong Kong movie star – after hearing the Wolves players calling the forward by his nickname, ‘Channy’.
“As far as our club is concerned our player did not say anything in a derogatory manner,” the club said at the time. “We are disappointed that the reaction of certain Wolves players has seen the incident blown out of proportion.”
At the last FIFA Congress in Bangkok in May, Gianni Infantino launched what he described as a “global stand against racism”. The governing body promised five areas of action, including mandatory sanctions for incidents of racism in or around matches.
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