Mexican Man Apologizes for Racist Gesture at World Cup Match

A Mexican man caught on video pulling the corners of his eyes during the World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic has apologised after the clip sparked a backlash.

A South Korean content creator had posted a video of herself at the match last Friday, where Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes, seated behind her, was seen making the slanted-eyes pose then laughing it off. The pose is seen as disrespectful to East Asians.

Bernal later apologised and reports say he has been removed from his position as president of a Mexican engineering guild.

Yoon Su-jin shared a clip on Instagram with this caption: "You traveled across the world for the World Cup… and experienced racism..."

The match, which was held in the Mexican city of Guadalajara on Thursday night, saw South Korea come from behind to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1.

"Ugh so terrible. And then he laughs like he cracked the best joke," read one of the comments.

Many comments from people who claimed to be Mexican also apologised for Bernal's actions, adding that he "doesn't represent all Mexicans".

Yoon, also known online as Ino Cat, has 6.6 million followers on YouTube and more than 2 million on TikTok.

Bernal was later removed from his position as president of the College of Geomatics and Topographic Surveying Engineers of Jalisco following the uproar (CITGEJ), according to the New York Post, who spoke to a CITGEJ spokesperson.

In a public apology posted on Sunday, Bernal acknowledged that the video had circulated widely and "generated a wide range of reactions".

"For that reason, I believe it is important to offer a public apology," he wrote.

"I sincerely regret everything this situation has caused. I have taken time to reflect on what happened and I understand the responsibility I have in this moment," he wrote, adding that he did not wish to "justify [himself nor debate different interpretations].