Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Mauricio Taricco has said he will resign as assistant coach of South Korean champion Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors after being handed a five-match ban for allegedly making a racist gesture during a K League game.
Taricco, 52, was sent off by referee Kim Woo-seong during the match against Daejeon Hana on November 8 for vehemently protesting against a penalty decision. During a confrontation with the official, Taricco placed his index fingers next to his eyes, in a gesture interpreted as racist and reported to the league’s disciplinary committee.
On November 19, the committee banned Taricco for five games and fined him 20 million won ($13,646).
The Argentine, who is assistant to Jeonbuk head coach Gus Poyet, denied he was being racist, and insisted he was asking the referee if he had seen the incident.
As part of a statement on the Jeonbuk website, Taricco said: “I have worked with many people in many countries and have lived and socialised with them without any problems related to their culture or race, and I have considered this a blessing.
“However, I have now been branded a racist by ‘self-proclaimed’ authorities due to a single misunderstanding where the context, cultural expressions, and meanings of all situations I continuously explained were ignored.
“My life, regardless of nationality and race, must continue in a place where there is safety, respect, peace, and equality before the law as a football person, so with a heavy heart, I have decided to leave this place after the end of this season.
“I would like to express my gratitude to the club and players with whom I could share success and history, and I am truly grateful to the fans who have given me unwavering support. I will not forget you.”
Jeonbuk, who clinched a 10th K League title in October with five games to spare, conclude their season with the Korean Cup final against Gwangju on December 6.
The club said it had concluded, after a “comprehensive and objective” review, that “it would be unreasonable to view (Taricco’s behaviour) as an intention of racial discrimination”, and planned to appeal the disciplinary committee’s decision.
“The club expects a more objective and balanced judgment to be made through the appeal process and will do its best until the end so that Coach Tano (Taricco) can quickly get out of this dishonorable situation and his memory of the K League and Korean football does not remain as a bitter pain,” read a Jeonbuk statement.
According to Reuters, a K League statement confirming Taricco’s ban last week, read: “Coach Taricco’s actions were identical to the widely known ‘slant-eye’ derogatory gesture against Asians and sufficiently inflicted feelings of racial insult on the recipient.”
Taricco spent four seasons with Ipswich Town before moving to Spurs in 1998, where he spent a further four years and played alongside Poyet.
The defender finished his playing career with Brighton & Hove Albion before going into coaching.