Taricco resigns as assistant coach at Jeonbuk after ban for alleged racist gesture in K League game

JEONJU, South Korea (AP) — Former Tottenham defender Mauricio Taricco will resign as assistant coach of South Korean champion Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors after receiving a five-match ban for an alleged racist gesture during a K League game, the club said Tuesday.

On Nov. 8 as Jeonbuk faced Daejeon Hana, the Argentine assistant was sent off by referee Kim Woo-seong for vehemently protesting a penalty decision. Subsequently, Taricco placed his index fingers besides the corner of his eyes — a gesture the referee interpreted as racist and reported to the league’s disciplinary committee.

On Nov. 19, the committee banned Taricco for five games and fined him 20 million won ($13,646).

The 52-year-old, who featured for Tottenham between 1998 and 2004 and also played for Ipswich Town, West Ham and Brighton in England, denied any racist intent, insisting that he was asking the official if he had seen the incident.

“The context of the situation, and the cultural expression and meaning that I’ve continuously tried to explain, have been disregarded,” Taricco said in a statement released by Jeonbuk on Tuesday. “With one moment of misunderstanding, I’ve been labeled a racist by the so-called authorities.”

Taricco, assistant to former Chelsea and Tottenham star Gus Poyet, will leave after the FA Cup final against Gwangju on Dec. 6.

“My career as a footballer must continue in a place that guarantees safety, respect, peace and equality under the law,” he said.

Jeonbuk, which clinched a 10th K League title in October with five games to spare, will appeal the committee’s decision, which, it said, has caused the coach psychological distress.

“The club comprehensively and objectively reviewed match footage, the coach’s statements and other testimonies, and judged it unreasonable to view the incident as racially discriminatory,” the club said in a statement.