A viral video showing the president of a Mexican engineering guild making a slant-eye gesture during a World Cup match has sparked controversy, prompting the guild to say it will review the matter internally.
In a video posted on Instagram by Korean YouTuber Inocat on Friday, a man wearing a Mexico jersey is seen making the gesture from the bleachers during Friday’s match between South Korea and the Czech Republic at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico. In the video, titled “Am I too sensitive?” the YouTuber appears visibly shaken.
The slant-eye gesture is widely regarded as a racist gesture mocking Asians, as it refers to the shape of some Asian people’s eyes.
The man in the video was later identified as Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes, president of the College of Geomatics and Topographic Surveying Engineers of the State of Jalisco (CITGEJ), according to Mexican media outlet Politico MX.
After the video went viral, CITGEJ issued a statement Saturday saying the matter would be reviewed through internal procedures.
“In accordance with our statutes and regulations, the matter will be reviewed through the corresponding internal mechanisms,” the statement issued by the CITGEJ board of directors read.
“We trust the acting president will, in a personal capacity, provide the clarifications he deems appropriate, contributing to the proper clarification of the facts,” it added.
The guild stressed that it is committed to “promoting a culture of respect, hospitality and healthy coexistence for all people.”
Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor at Sungkyunkwan University, condemned the incident in a Facebook post, calling on Bernal to issue a formal apology and urging FIFA to take measures to prevent similar incidents.
“It is unimaginable that something like this would happen at the World Cup, an event where the global community joins together as one, regardless of race and nationality,” Seo said.
“Bernal will have to formally apologize, and FIFA must take extra precautions, using this event as a mirror to ensure that something like this does not happen again,” he added.
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