Former Tottenham and Ipswich defender Mauricio Taricco has been kicked out of his coaching role at South Korean club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors after sparking a racism row. The 52-year-old was involved in a heated exchange with referee Kim Woo-seong during a game against Daejeon Hana, where he kept complaining about a non-award for a penalty despite the video assistant referee intervening to point to the spot.
Taricco made a hand gesture that the K League's disciplinary committee deemed to be a racist insult. The fine was 20 million Korean won (£10,300) and Taricco has been stripped of his coaching role after the committee upheld its decision. He will leave the club at the end of the season.
In a bizarre incident, in 2017, Colombian player Edwin Cardona made a similar gesture during a match against South Korea but was fined just five matches. It emerged that the player had apologised and claimed it was not meant to be racist, yet he still faced punishment for it.
Jeonbuk has since said they will launch an appeal, claiming Taricco's behaviour was misunderstood. However, the K League rejected this appeal on Monday, saying there were no issues with the disciplinary committee's actions and no new facts that would change its decision.
The South Korean football community remains divided over the issue, while many are questioning why officials are quick to demand punishment for players but slow to hold referees accountable.
Taricco made a hand gesture that the K League's disciplinary committee deemed to be a racist insult. The fine was 20 million Korean won (£10,300) and Taricco has been stripped of his coaching role after the committee upheld its decision. He will leave the club at the end of the season.
In a bizarre incident, in 2017, Colombian player Edwin Cardona made a similar gesture during a match against South Korea but was fined just five matches. It emerged that the player had apologised and claimed it was not meant to be racist, yet he still faced punishment for it.
Jeonbuk has since said they will launch an appeal, claiming Taricco's behaviour was misunderstood. However, the K League rejected this appeal on Monday, saying there were no issues with the disciplinary committee's actions and no new facts that would change its decision.
The South Korean football community remains divided over the issue, while many are questioning why officials are quick to demand punishment for players but slow to hold referees accountable.
i guess ur right tho, the K league was quick to slap him with a fine and strip him of his coaching role. 20 million won is no joke btw 
but what really gets me is that jeonbuk is launching an appeal saying taricco's gesture was misinterpreted... idk man it sounds like they're just trying to save face 
... Mauricio Taricco, a coach at Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in South Korea, got kicked out of his job after making a hand gesture that was deemed racist during a game 
. I feel so bad for the guy, 'cause he claimed it wasn't meant to be racist and apologized, but I guess 20 million Korean won (£10,300) just isn't enough to cover up the damage 
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. I wish they would be more consistent in their punishments, 'cause it's not like it's easy to avoid making mistakes on the pitch 
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... but at the same time, I get why they had to take action. It's a slippery slope if coaches and players start making racist gestures and getting away with it 
. Maybe this incident will spark some real change in the South Korean football community 
?
Still, safety and respect for players is super important, even if it means holding officials accountable too. Guess we'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out 
First of all, this guy Taricco gets kicked out of his coaching job for a hand gesture that's being deemed "racist" by the K League... but what about when Edwin Cardona did it in 2017 and only got fined 5 matches? Same gesture, different outcome. Coincidence? I don't think so! 
. And I'm so sick of people saying "oh it wasn't meant to be racist" like that justifies everything 
. It's not like he meant to cause offense or anything, but still, there's that fine line between being passionate and crossing over into racist territory.
. First of all, Taricco's behaviour was unacceptable, no matter what his intentions were 
. But the fact that he got a slap on the wrist for it, while the player who made the same gesture in 2017 only got fined five matches... it just doesn't sit right with me 
. I mean, if Taricco claimed it was a misunderstanding too, then why did he get punished more harshly? It's like there's double standards at play here 
️. But what I find really concerning is that some folks are questioning why officials aren't held to the same standards as players 
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. While it's understandable that Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors wants to launch an appeal, I think it's essential to acknowledge the committee's decision as a necessary step towards promoting inclusivity and respect on the pitch 
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i also think its interesting that jeonbuk is launching an appeal but the k league rejected it... maybe there were some new facts or evidence that didnt come to light during the investigation? 
. And now the K League is gonna appeal, because why not? Maybe they should focus on getting some actual referees who can handle games without losing their cool 
. It's all about the optics, folks.
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. But let's be real, they're probably just trying to save face 
. Still, I got faith in them. Maybe next time, they'll get it right 
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