Mexican Man Loses Job After Racist Gesture Behind South Korea Fan

Hal picked up his MA in Sports Journalism and NCTJ qualification from St Mary's University Twickenham, Hal has since been part of Valnet since late 2021.

He started as a freelance football writer for This Is Futbol and carried that on over to FootballFanCast before becoming their social media editor. He now works as an editor for GiveMeSport, predominantly focusing on Premier League, Champions League, and English football.

He also helps GiveMeSport cover other major sports such as MMA, boxing, darts, tennis, and golf. Key events like the summer and winter Olympics are also highlights when they appear on the sporting calendar.

Hal is an Arsenal and Three Lions fan, but keeps an eye on the All Blacks, his favourite rugby team, having grown up in New Zealand. Sign in to your GiveMeSport account The early stages of the 2026 World Cup have delivered plenty of exciting moments on the pitch. The first two games of the tournament set the tone, with the three red cards in Mexico's opening day win over South Africa, followed by South Korea's impressive 2-1 comeback in an action-packed display against Czechia.

Those results mean Mexico and South Korea sit at the top of Group A, with the host nation in first on goal difference, while the Czechs and South Africa sit third and fourth respectively (also divided by goal difference). Unfortunately, a few incidents have taken away some of the joy from the action so far.

One issue is the high number of empty seats, which were particularly apparent during South Korea's win at the Estadio Akron (Guadalajara Stadium). Although FIFA insisted it was actually a sell-out match, pictures of the event told a very different story. More seriously, however, one fan appeared to make a racist gesture during the game.

Comments made during Mexico's World Cup win against South Africa haven't gone down well online.

Yoon Su-jin, who has nearly 9 million combined followers on TikTok and YouTube, was filming herself celebrating South Korea’s opening World Cup 2-1 victory against Czechia when she also caught a number of Mexican fans on camera behind her. At first, the clip seemed to be good nature, but one man then appeared to make a racist gesture, as he pulled his fingers to slant his eyes.

A stunned Yoon, who goes by Incocat_t, stared at her camera, evidently upset as she later asked:

“I came all the way to Mexico for the World Cup, but … am I being too sensitive?”

While also then posting: “POV: You travelled across the world for the World Cup… and experienced racism.”

The man has now been identified as a local Mexican trade group leader, and action has been taken against him.

In an update from the New York Post, the man in question is the College of Topographic and Geomatic Engineers of Jalisco President Ulises Bernal. Their report claims he will be removed from office after the clip went viral, drawing strong criticism.

A spokesperson for the government trade association, which trains and licenses engineers, told The New York Post:

​​​​​​​ “We are deeply saddened by what is happening regarding this incident.”

When asked if Bernal would face any punishment, they said “the Honor and Justice Committee is meeting this same day” and that Bernal would be “removed from office.”

The incident has sparked a strong response online, with many Mexican fans apologising for the racist behaviour.