Eom Ji-sung, the Swansea City forward who led South Korea to a fourth straight Asian Games men's football gold medal, was subjected to racist abuse during an away match in England's Championship, the second tier. The referee took the unusual step of stopping play, and British police have begun working to identify the perpetrator.
Swansea City said on its website on the 14th, Korean time, that "allegations have been made of racist abuse directed at Eom Ji-sung during the second half of the 2026-2027 Championship away fixture against Millwall at The Den in London."
The club added that it "condemns discriminatory behavior in all its forms," stressing that "there is no place for such behavior in football or anywhere in our society."
Home side Millwall also issued a statement on its official channels, saying the club "applies a zero-tolerance policy toward discrimination of any kind" and that it would "take the strongest possible action against the individual responsible." Millwall also confirmed that a police investigation is under way.
The incident occurred in the 67th minute with the match level at 0-0. Eom, who was named among the substitutes and was warming up with a teammate near the touchline, was reportedly subjected to racist remarks from the stands. The referee immediately stopped the match, checked the situation with the fourth official and spoke with both managers.
According to the BBC and other local media, a stadium announcement said police were reviewing CCTV footage to identify those involved in the alleged racist chanting. The scoreboard also displayed a message urging anyone who heard hate speech to report it without hesitation. Play resumed about six minutes later, in the 73rd minute.
Eom, who did not take the field, watched the team's 1-0 win from the bench. Swansea stayed top of the Championship with 23 points from seven wins, two draws and one defeat.
Eom scored four goals and provided four assists at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which concluded earlier this month, leading South Korea to its fourth consecutive gold medal at the competition.