UEFA Announces It Will Not Investigate Racial Incident Involving Hwang Hee-chan; Player: I Just Said He Thought He Was Jackie Chan

In a pre-season friendly match against Italian club Como, South Korean player Hwang Hee-chan of Premier League team Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) was allegedly subjected to racist remarks, an incident that quickly became the focus of international football attention. Despite strong disapproval expressed by Wolves players and the club regarding this incident, UEFA has made it clear that, as the match was not an official UEFA event, it will not investigate incidents in such friendly matches.

UEFA reaffirmed its firm stance against any form of discrimination within football but pointed out that its investigative authority is limited to matches organized by UEFA. “We understand and respect Wolves’ and their players’ zero-tolerance attitude towards racism, but we can only deal with cases within the framework of UEFA competitions,” explained a UEFA spokesperson.

In the meantime, Como offered a different perspective on the incident. In an official statement, Como insisted that its player had no discriminatory intent and detailed the context of the player’s remarks. “Our player said at the time, ‘Ignore him, he thinks he’s Jackie Chan,’” the club stated.

Como also expressed disappointment that the reaction from Wolves players led to an overblown situation. “The player did not deliberately use any derogatory language. We are disappointed that the reaction from Wolves players escalated matters,” the club added.

According to multiple reports, during the match against Como, Hwang Hee-chan was racially abused by an opposing player, leading to Wolves player Daniel Podence being sent off for retaliating against the player who insulted Hwang. Players and coaching staff from both teams then engaged in a prolonged dispute and discussion. Wolves’ head coach Gary O’Neil asked Hwang if he wanted to be substituted early, but Hwang, demonstrating exceptional professionalism, chose to play the entire match.

After the game, O’Neil highly praised Hwang for his resilience and leadership in the face of racial abuse. He noted that although Hwang was extremely disappointed by the discrimination he faced, he chose to stay on the pitch, which filled the whole team with pride. The Wolves club also swiftly acted, issuing a statement through its official website announcing that it would formally submit a protest to UEFA, firmly opposing all forms of racial discrimination.