Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at 06:59

Hyun-Jun Suk was racially treated during the game between Olympique Marseille and ESTAC Troyes (1-0) on Sunday. An Amazon Prime microphone overheard the South Korean striker being ridiculed by two different people near the bank of Olympique Marseille because of his Asian background. ESTAC Troyes has taken a strong stand against the treatment against Suk in a statement, while the French disciplinary committee, according to RMC Sports launched an investigation.

The game between Olympique Marseille and ESTAC Troyes – which was decided by a goal from Pol Lirola in the 74th minute – had to be played behind closed doors following incidents during the match against Paris Saint-Germain. Partly because of this, the Amazon Prime microphone near the bank of Olympique Marseille picked up the insults to Suk. After a tackle on Pape Gueye, Suk was told by two different people near the Olympique Marseille bank that he was a ‘samurai’ and was going to ‘make sushi’.

Incidentally, the insults suggest that Suk is from Japan, when in reality he is South Korean. “ESTAC is aware of the racist remarks made against Hyun-Jun Suk after viewing the images of our match against Olympique Marseille,” ESTAC Troyes wrote in a statement on its website. Olympique Marseille president Pablo Longoria has already apologized to his colleague Aymeric Magne. “There is no doubt that the words picked up by Amazon Prime’s microphone are simply unacceptable in the multicultural football world.”

“The club condemns any form of racism and xenophobia. ESTAC supports all steps taken to combat this. We will support the player in whatever steps he wants to take,” the statement concluded. Thirty-year-old Suk – former striker of Ajax and FC Groningen – is currently on his second term at ESTAC Troyes, having arrived in 2017, left for Stade Reims a year later and returned in January 2020. He has so far played seven games this season, in which he has not yet provided goals or assists.