Wolves forward sent off for punching Como player after alleged racist abuse aimed at Hwang Hee-chan

Wolverhampton Wanderers star Daniel Podence was shown a red card for punching a Como player during a friendly after alleged racist abuse of Hwang Hee-chan.

The Wanderers kickstarted their pre-season campaign by taking on Serie A side Como on Monday in the south coast of Spain.

The Midlands outfit took the lead early in the second-half through Matt Doherty’s header.

But trouble erupted soon after Hwang Hee-chan claimed a Como player had racially abused him.

Several Wolves stars intervened in defence of the South Korean, and Podence was seen punching an opposition player, leading to his dismissal from the pitch.

It is not suggested here that Podence punched the player who allegedly targeted Hwang.

Wolves manager Gary O’Neil later talked to the South Korea international and asked him if he wanted to abandon the game.

But the forward was determined to continue and hence the match resumed, with the Wanderers ultimately coming away with a 1-0 victory against Como.

In a club statement, Wolves vowed to launch a formal complaint to Uefa over the incident.

Their statement read: “Racism or discrimination in any form is completely unacceptable and should never be left unchallenged, and Wolves will be submitting a formal complaint to Uefa regarding the incident.”

Wolves are set to travel to the United States of America for their remaining pre-season fixtures.

They will take on West Ham United on July 27 at the EverBank Stadium before facing Crystal Palace in Maryland four days later.

The Old Gold will then go head-to-head with RB Leipzig at the Chase Stadium ahead of the final friendly at their home stadium with Rayo Vallecano on August 3.