A Mexican football fan who was filmed making a racist gesture behind a popular South Korean influencer during a World Cup match has publicly apologised and resigned from his job following a huge online backlash.
Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes came under fire after appearing in a viral video filmed by South Korean content creator Ino Cat during South Korea’s opening World Cup match against the Czech Republic in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The clip showed Bernal, who was seated behind the influencer, pulling at the corners of his eyes while looking towards her camera – a gesture widely regarded as offensive towards people of East Asian descent.
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The footage was later shared by Ino Cat, who has more than 6.6 million YouTube subscribers and over two million TikTok followers.
In one post, she told followers they had travelled across the world for the World Cup only to experience racism, as reported by Need To Know.
The video quickly spread across social media, generating tens of thousands of comments and becoming one of the most talked-about off-field incidents of the tournament.
One user commented: “Ugh so terrible. And then he laughs like he cracked the best joke.”
Another wrote: “As a Mexican I’m deeply sorry!”
The backlash continued to build over the weekend, prompting Bernal to issue a public statement addressing the incident.
He said he wanted to apologise directly to Ino Cat, the Korean community, the wider international community and Mexicans who felt embarrassed by the incident.
Bernal also revealed he had resigned from his role as president of the College of Geomatics and Topographic Surveying Engineers of Jalisco following the uproar (CITGEJ) in order to separate the institution from the controversy.
He said the incident was a personal matter and claimed he had already contacted Ino Cat with the intention of apologising to her in person.
The incident took place during South Korea’s 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara.
Ino Cat initially shared the clip with followers asking whether she was being overly sensitive, but the reaction online was swift.
Others expressed sympathy for the influencer, while many Mexican users posted messages apologising for what had happened.
Ino Cat later thanked those who had reached out to support her and said that most of her experiences in Mexico had been positive.
The controversy has also reignited discussion around racism in football and whether enough is being done to tackle discriminatory behaviour at major international tournaments.
FIFA’s anti-discrimination regulations allow for sanctions against supporters, teams and national federations in certain circumstances, although no action relating to this specific incident had been announced at the time of writing.
The incident comes just days before England begin their World Cup campaign in the United States, with supporters expected to travel in huge numbers for the tournament.
One fan who recently calculated the cost of following the Three Lions all the way to the final claimed the trip could set her back almost £39,000.
British model Leah Ray estimated she would spend £38,986 travelling across the US to watch England, including more than £11,800 on match tickets and almost £7,000 on food and drink during a 40-day stay.
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