FIFA bans Italian player Curto for 10 games for discrimination toward South Korean opponent

ZURICH (AP) — FIFA banned Italian soccer player Marco Curto for 10 games for making a discriminatory remark at South Korea forward Hee Chan Hwang in a preseason game between Como and Wolverhampton.

The 25-year-old Curto also must do “community services and undergo training and education with an organization approved by FIFA,” soccer’s governing body said in a statement on Tuesday.

Como defended Curto after the game in July, claiming the remark that Hwang “thinks he’s Jackie Chan” was not intended to be derogatory.

Hwang reported the incident during the second half, leading to angry responses from his teammates, including Daniel Podence. The Portuguese forward was sent off for punching a Como player.

The South Korea Football Association filed a formal complaint to FIFA, which notified Curto of his disciplinary ban late Monday.

“The player Marco Curto was found responsible for discriminatory behavior and sanctioned with a 10-match suspension,” FIFA said.

Curto has since been loaned by top-tier Como to Serie B club Cesena and is set to miss five league games through Nov. 10.

FIFA said it deferred five games of the ban for a probationary period of two years.

FIFA this year urged all 211 of its member federations to take a coordinated approach to prosecuting incidents of alleged racism and discrimination.

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The Associated Press