Lee Jae-sung has faced racism throughout career in Germany

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Lee Jae-sung has faced racism throughout career in Germany

Lee Jae-sung of Mainz competes during a Bundesliga match against TSG Hoffenheim in Mainz, Germany on Feb. 5. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

Lee Jae-sung of Mainz competes during a Bundesliga match against TSG Hoffenheim in Mainz, Germany on Feb. 5. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

 
In his four years playing in Germany, Korean national team regular and Mainz midfielder Lee Jae-sung has been told he stinks and made fun of for his eyes — and that was just from his teammates.
 
In a post on his personal Naver blog on Monday, Lee, who started his international career with Holstein Kiel after four years in Korea with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, discussed the racism he has experienced playing in Germany.
 
His post came a week after Wolverhampton Wanderers filed a complaint with UEFA when Hwang Hee-chan was the victim of racism while playing a friendly in Portugal. Lee appeared to acknowledge the incident, saying he felt the time was right to confront the issue as it is a growing problem for Korean football players.
 
Lee said he first experienced racism while playing in Kiel, when a colleague walked into a room and started questioning what he’d been eating. He became conscious of the smell of garlic and started avoiding crowded areas or eating Korean food before training, even dousing himself with cologne before heading to the club to try and avoid further criticism.
 
The incidents were not just on the pitch, as Lee had also encountered derogatory remarks related to his eyes, with teammates laughing and telling him to open his eyes during training.

 
 
He also discusses racism outside of football, including how he encountered groups of drunk people shouting insults at him on the street while traveling in Germany. Lee still struggles with his teammates attitude toward him — the expectation that he’d always be mild-mannered and happy to help them.
 
The issue of racism in football is not confined to Korean players in Europe, Lee acknowledges, reflecting on the attitude that Korean players and fans have toward foreign players in the K League. He admits that when he played in Korea, he was guilty of treating foreign players differently just because they are foreign.
 
Lee’s blog post comes as European football is struggling to crack down on racism.
 
The incident in Portugal was not the first time that Hwang, now in his second season with Wolverhampton, has faced racist abuse. Last year, when he was first introduced to Wolves fans on the sidelines of a game against Manchester United, United fans sang an offensive chant that references Koreans eating dog meat.
 
That incident triggered former United star Park Ji-sung to call out his own fans, condemning their continued use of a song that perpetuates racist stereotypes and is targeted at younger Korean players.
 
Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur, Korea’s most famous football player, has also regularly faced racist abuse.
 
Last year, Spurs released a statement after Son faced abusive language from Manchester United fans after a game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. That incident was the latest in a long line of derogatory comments directed at Son, including by a popular YouTube pundit connected to Arsenal in 2020.
 
Anti-racism campaigns have become common across Europe, including the Premier League’s “No room for racism” campaign and UEFA’s “Say no to racism.” Teams also often take the knee before games — a common gesture across the sporting world as a statement against racism — but incidents of racism still remain common.
 
In Korea similar efforts exist, although the smaller number of foreign players active here may limit the impact. When Tottenham Hotspur traveled to Korea to play two friendlies last month, stadium announcers made a point of reminding fans that racism is not acceptable before kickoff.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]
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