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Why should one be excluded from an honorable and memorable moment of victory just because of their race? 

On May 8, 2022, Ji So-yun, a Korean football athlete who plays for Chelsea F.C. Women in the England FA Women’s Super League, seemed jubilant to capture her 5th league title. Yet, when Ji’s dream moment of lifting the silverware finally came, she suddenly vanished from the screen of more than 100K viewers. 

She was “Asian Passed.”

(Hello, we are the “Overseas Football Gallery,” South Korea’s only and largest Facebook sports group that fosters a communicative playground for Korean soccer fans. With over 40K members, our group has continuously brought diverse sports fans together to help them proactively engage in the sports they love and support rather than merely watch them through a screen. Since its establishment in 2016, our group has dedicated itself to serving the ultimate role of representing the voices of Korean soccer fans in the international arena.)

“Asian Passing,” the act of pushing an Asian athlete out of the screen by a camera that is sending out live broadcasts at the very moment they hoist the trophy or receive a medal, is a blatant and inexcusable play of racism. 

Such racism has been perpetrated by the UK soccer broadcasters (Sky Sports, BT Sport, and Amazon Prime Video, etc.) and irresponsibly tolerated by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), The Football Association (FA), and offices from both the English Premier League (PL) and English Football League (EFL). 

Such phenomena are especially critical when acknowledging that such disgraceful behavior started in England, which has the largest share and impact on the world’s soccer industry. Above all, it is even more disappointing to witness the hypocritical attitude of the European football associations as they impose such a striking double standard against Asians while advocating for Black Lives Matter movements for African Americans. 

Until now, six top-notch Asian players have been victims of such evident racism.

Please watch the video: https://youtu.be/YswraU3X9rw

Ji So-yun (Chelsea F.C. Women) 

Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur F.C.) 

Takumi Minamino (Liverpool F.C.) 

Okazaki Shinji (Former Leicester City F.C.) 

Ki Sung-yueng (Former Swansea City A.F.C.) 

Park Ji-sung (Former Manchester United F.C.) 

Yet, six is only the number reported. We expect the unreported cases behind the scenes to be countless. 

Thus, the “Overseas Football Gallery” now strongly condemns the UK soccer broadcasters and the European and UK football associations as equally responsible for such deplorable discrimination and demands quick solutions to prevent future recurrences. 

Here are our recommendations:

1. Make official apologies from the responsible stakeholders (broadcaster and all involved UK soccer associations) for the victimized Asian athletes.
2.  Establish proper disciplinary actions on the past cases and implement internal regulations and protocols to respond to and prevent future recurrences.
3. Design and organize regular social campaigns against Asian Hate both on and off the pitch.

 

Dear football fans, 

Racism must have no place to stand in any part of our society. 

We’re not looking for the benefits for the Asian athletes. 

Rather, we want something back--the delightful moment of victory when lifting the silverware, which we proudly deserve together. 

Just as 11 players play together on the pitch, we wish to stand and enjoy the joy of our achievements together even after the final whistle.

Everyone, we sincerely ask you to participate in this petition and spread it widely so that all sports fans worldwide can understand the dire matter and sympathize with us.

Let’s all make our small but powerful contributions to creating a more equal and enjoyable world of sports, even outside football. 

#StopAsianPassing
#SayNoToRacism

Please contact jeffrey_yeo@college.harvard.edu for more information.

 

Sincerely, 

The Overseas Football Gallery Head Director & Co-author
Ikje Cho plugdean@gmail.com

Co-author
In Yeol “Jeffrey” Yeo jeffrey_yeo@college.harvard.edu

Contributors 
Seungwon Woo
Leho Lee
Seung Hyeon Lee
Kang Min Baek
Sangwoo Lee