Como defender Marco Curto has been given a 10-match suspension by FIFA for racially abusing Wolves striker Hwang Hee-chan during a pre-season friendly in July. Curto, who is currently on loan to Serie B side Cesena, has now been officially banned, although five of those matches are suspended for two years. Reports indicate that Hwang Hee-chan was subjected to discrimination as Curto told a fellow defender “ignore him, he thinks he’s Jackie Chan”.

Serie A side Como claimed at the time that Wolves had blown things "out of proportion", as Mirwan Suwarso - a spokesperson for the Italian club’s owners - spoke on the matter. “Having spoken to our player at length, we are confident this was in reference to the player’s name, and to the constant references of ‘Channy’ made by his own team-mates on the pitch,” Suwarso said. “As far as our club is concerned our player did not say anything in a derogatory manner. We are disappointed that the reaction of certain Wolves players has seen the incident blown out of proportion.”

Despite Como's attempt to deny the racial abuse, the ban eventually arrived after the Korean Football Association got involved in the situation and reported the incident to FIFA. Wolves had initially submitted a complaint to the Italian Football Association and to the UEFA, however the latter had said that it was powerless to act because the friendly was not a UEFA match.

“The player Marco Curto was found responsible for discriminatory behaviour and sanctioned with a 10-match suspension,” a spokesperson for FIFA said. “Serving of half of those matches is suspended for a probation period of two years, and the player is ordered to render community services and undergo training and education with an organisation approved by FIFA.”

Wolves are expected to issue a formal statement soon, but are understood to welcome the decision as director of football operations Matt Wild has supported the sanctions. Wild said: "We welcome FIFA's decision to sanction Marco Curto following the discriminatory incident during our pre-season friendly against Como 1907. The suspension issued to the player sends a clear message that racism and discriminatory behaviour will not be tolerated in football or society. This outcome highlights FIFA’s commitment to ensuring that serious actions have meaningful consequences, and we are encouraged to see the use of sporting sanctions alongside community service and education. Such measures underline the importance of both punishment and education in eradicating discriminatory behaviour from the game we all love".

October 7, 2024

M. Curto

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