Former Tottenham Hotspur player Mauricio Taricco is the centre of a huge storm and has been disciplined for a racist gesture while coaching in South Korea.
Taricco arrived in English football in 1994, joining Ipswich Town, before being snapped up by Tottenham in 1998.
The Argentine defender spent six seasons at White Hart Lane, making 130 appearances and scoring twice.
The left-back then had a brief spell at West Ham United before ending his career at Brighton, and he has subsequently gone into coaching, working as an assistant in clubs such as Sunderland, AEK Athens and Real Betis.
Former Tottenham defender Mauricio Taricco is in hot water over a racist gesture
The 52-year-old now works as an assistant manager at South Korean side Jeonbuk Motors, a position he has held since last year.
The Independent have revealed that the former Tottenham man is now in hot water after making a racist gesture in a match against Daejeon Hana Citizen on November 8.
Taricco was having an argument with the referee over a penalty appeal and reportedly shouted “racista” (the Spanish word for racist) at the referee before making a slanted-eye gesture.
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The Argentine claimed his gesture was to indicate that the referee had not directly observed a handball, but the K-League rejected this, claiming that his actions were “identical to the widely known slant-eye”, which is a derogatory gesture against Asians
Taricco hit with a fine and a ban
According to the Independent, the K-League’s disciplinary committee said about the incident: “The evaluation of a specific act should be based on the universal meaning of the act as expressed, rather than the perpetrator’s stated intentions.”
Taricco is now set for a spell away from the touchline after being hit with a five-match ban.
The 52-year-old has also been fined 20 million won for his actions, which amounts to around £12,000.