Colombia Soccer Player Offers Scripted Apology for Racist ‘Slant Eyes’ During Match in South Korea

“I didn’t mean to disrespect anyone, a country or a race, but if anyone felt offended, or interpreted it in that way, I am sorry,” Cardona said through a video posted in the team’s Twitter account, as reported by Associated Press.

“I want to say I am not an aggressive person. I am sorry that something that happened during the game has been misinterpreted.”

Cardona came under fire when he was caught by the media doing a “slant eyes” gesture towards South Korean players during the second half of the game. You can see in the video below – around the 0:49 mark – how he briefly “mocks” the opposing team with the racist gesture.

Meanwhile, Korean media and captain Ki Sung-Yeung condemned Cardona’s action and had expressed his disappointment to the team.

“The Colombians were really physical, which can happen in football. Racist behavior is unacceptable, however. Colombia is a team full of world-class players and it was disappointing to see this kind of thing,” he told AP.

As it turns out, an apology video for what happened is not enough for what Cardona did during the match. The Korean Football Association (KFA) expressed a “deep regret” and is now calling for a “proper punitive measure” against the Colombian football player, Korean media outlet Yonhap reported via Samaa.

This isn’t the first time something like this happened in South Korean that involves a South American team. In June, Uruguayan footballer Federico Valverde did the same gesture at the Under-20 World Cup in the country.

Not just in football, though, but in other sports as well. A couple of example would be Cuban baseball player for Houston Astro, Yuli Gurriel, and Brazilian tennis player Guilherme Clezar, who was fined £1,100 ($1,487) when he made the gesture.

Feature Image via YouTube / JK Sports