Racial discrimination affecting Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) also occurred during a match where Yang Min-hyeok (Queens Park Rangers) started.
Queens Park Rangers announced on the 9th (Korean time) through the club's website that "a report of racial discrimination was received at The Hawthorns, where the match against West Bromwich Albion took place. A QPR player was detained by West Midlands Police on suspicion of public order offenses due to racial discrimination during the first half. WBA has suspended the ticket privileges of the fan involved."
He was substituted in the 43rd minute of the second half. QPR hung their heads in defeat with a 0-1 loss. Yang Min-hyeok played 89 minutes, recording 36 touches, an 82% pass success rate, 1 successful cross (out of 3 attempts), 4 ground duels won (out of 8 attempts), 2 fouls committed, 1 interception, and 2 tackles. His rating, according to soccer statistics outlet Sofascore, was 6.5.
There have been multiple instances of recognized discrimination against Korean players in European football.
Son Heung-min (Tottenham) also became a victim of racial discrimination due to comments made by his teammate Rodrigo Bentancur before the season.
Tottenham immediately criticized the incident in a post-match statement. They said, "We are aware of the allegations of racial discrimination against Son Heung-min during the match. All forms of discrimination are abhorrent and are unacceptable in society, in games, and at clubs."
Meanwhile, while it has been confirmed that a WBA fan was the perpetrator, it is not known who the target was.
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