Derogatory eye gesture lands Colombia’s Edwin Cardona in racism storm in South Korea
Boca Juniors player says his actions have been ‘misinterpreted’ but are condemned by captain Ki Sung-yeung and Korean media
Colombia’s Edwin Cardona has apologised after sparking a racism controversy during his team’s 2-0 loss to South Korea in an international friendly.
The Colombian midfielder made an apparently derogatory gesture with his eyes toward South Korean players in the second-half of Friday night’s game at Suwon World Cup Stadium, south of Seoul.
“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 in a video posted on the Colombian national team’s official Twitter account.
“I want to say I am not an aggressive person,” said Cardona, who plays for Boca Juniors in Argentina. “I am sorry that something that happened during the game has been misinterpreted.”
Cardona’s actions were condemned by the Korean media and captain Ki Sung-yeung.