Mauricio Taricco, the former Tottenham Hotspur defender and assistant coach at South Korean club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, has been banned for five matches and fined 20 million Korean won (£10,300) for making a racist slanted-eye gesture during a K League match. The incident occurred in November during a game against Daejeon Hana, when Taricco, angry at a referee's decision, placed his index fingers next to the outer corners of his eyes, pulling them to narrow his eyes.
The K League disciplinary committee ruled that the gesture was identical to the so-called slanted-eye gesture that mocks people of Asian descent and is universally regarded as racist. The committee noted that such gestures have been penalised by Fifa on multiple occasions. Taricco has denied any racist intent, claiming he was merely covering his eyes to emphasise that the referee should have seen a handball foul.
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors have stated that Taricco has experienced mental anguish since the ruling and will leave the club at the end of the season, which concludes with the FA Cup final on Saturday. The club expressed support for Taricco, saying it would be unreasonable to view his behaviour as intentional racial discrimination and hoped for a more objective judgment through the appeal process.
However, on Monday the K League rejected the appeal, upholding the punishment. Jeonbuk attacker Lee Seung-woo defended Taricco, saying the coach respects Korea more than anyone else and that the judgment ignores intent and context. The incident has drawn comparisons to previous cases, including Colombian player Edwin Cardona's five-match ban in 2017 for a similar gesture during a friendly match in South Korea.
