Hwang Hee-chan has spoken for the first time since Como denied that one of their players had racially assaulted the Wolves player.
Wolves won 1-0 over Italian side Como in a pre-season friendly in Spain on Monday, but the game was marred by an incident in the second half.
A Como player allegedly racially assaulted Wolves’ South Korean striker Hwang Hee-chan, causing a scuffle between the two sets of players and personnel.
Daniel Podence, Hwang’s teammate, received a straight red card for throwing a punch during the scuffle.
Wolves announced after the match that they will submit the incident to UEFA, but the European football governing body later issued a statement stating that the friendly did not fall under their jurisdiction.
On Tuesday, Como issued a statement claiming that their player said “ignore him [Hwang], he thinks he’s Jackie Chan.”
The Serie A club stated, “Having spoken with our player at length, we are confident this was in reference to the player’s name, as well as the constant references to ‘Channy’ made by his own team-mates on the pitch.”
“As far as our club is concerned our player did not say anything in a derogatory manner.”
Como condemned “certain Wolves players” for “blowing the incident out of proportion.”
On Tuesday evening, Hwang addressed the situation for the first time.
“Racism is intolerable in sports and in all aspects of life,” the 28-year-old stated on Instagram.
“After the event, the coaching staff and my teammates quickly told me that they would leave the field with me if necessary, and they kept an eye on my well-being.
“I am grateful to my teammates once more. Despite everything, I wanted to keep going, and we did what we needed to do on the pitch!
“Finally, thank you to everyone who has given encouraging messages. “There is no room for racism.” Son Heung-min, a Tottenham Hotspur player and South Korean international, responded on Hwang’s post, saying, “By your side, mate. #NoRoomForRacism.”
Featured Image Credit: Wolves/Gett.
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