GUADALAJARA, Mexico — What was supposed to be a feel-good World Cup moment between friendly Mexican fans and a bubbly South Korean influencer has exploded into an international racism row after a middle-aged guy in a Mexico jersey was filmed pulling his eyes into a grotesque slant-eye mockery right behind her.
The viral clip, posted by popular Korean YouTuber Inonyang (also known as Ino Cat), shows the adorable content creator, decked out in Korean gear with face paint, happily filming herself in the stands at Estadio Guadalajara during South Korea's 2-1 win over Czechia on Thursday.
She's smiling, waving, soaking up the atmosphere, when the clown behind her looks straight into her camera, stretches the skin at the corners of his eyes with both index fingers, and mugs like it's the funniest thing ever.
"I came all the way to Mexico for the World Cup... am I being too sensitive?" she captioned the video.
Within hours, furious netizens — including plenty of embarrassed Mexicans, doxxed the culprit as Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes, president of Jalisco's College of Geomatics and Topographic Surveying Engineers (CITGEJ).pbs.twimg.com
Photos quickly surfaced of the "professional leader" in suits at official events, looking far more respectable than the boorish fanboy caught on camera. His organization rushed out a statement distancing itself, launching an internal review, and basically throwing him under the bus amid the tsunami of backlash.
Mexican fans flooded Inonyang's comments with apologies. "Sorry Korea, that person shamed Mexico," one wrote. Others called it a national embarrassment that spoiled the otherwise warm vibes between the two countries' supporters.
But not everyone's clutching pearls. Some online defenders shrugged it off as "just joking" or "old-school banter," pointing out that similar gestures have popped up in soccer crowds before. One commenter nostalgically pined for the days when "nobody got offended by racist jokes."Too late for that. The clip has racked up millions of views, with calls for FIFA to step in and demands that Bernal face real consequences.
South Korea and Mexico are set to face each other in Group A on June 18, right back in Guadalajara. Let's hope the stands stay classy this time.
