If you want to get me, get the chino”.
“Mallorca coach Javier Aguirre has requested that players such as Lee Kang-in remain at the club as a condition of his renewal,” Spain’s Marca reported on May 25 (KST).
Mallorca has exceeded expectations this season with a 12th place finish. This is thanks to the leadership of Lee, who is developing into one of the best technicians in La Liga, and Aguirre.
However, the good vibes were interrupted by a racist incident against Lee. It even involved Aguirre.
Aguirre has been heavily criticized for his racism towards Lee in a video posted on the team’s official channel on November 11. He suddenly shouted “Chino” after Lee’s shot went wide to the right of the goal.
Chino is the Spanish word for “Chinese” and is a racist term used to refer to people of Asian descent. Lee, who has lived in Spain since childhood, is well aware of this.
Two years ago, he appeared on the YouTube channel “Shoot for Love” and explained the racism himself, saying, “Everywhere I go, there are many Chinese people, so they call Asian people chino.
But Lee didn’t pay much attention to the “chino” shouting. Of course, it’s possible that he didn’t hear it, but it was a pretty loud shout, so it’s likely that he heard it too. Lee just smiled and continued training as if nothing had happened.
What’s worse is that the Mallorca club didn’t recognize the problem. If they had realized the seriousness of the racist remark, they would have removed it in the editing process. It seems that the word “chino” is familiar to them.
Furthermore, Lee Kang-in has been called a chino by Aguirre in the past. According to a video posted by a social media user, Aguirre shouted at him during training, “What are you doing, Chinese, what are you doing?” (¿Que Haces Chino? ¿Que Haces?).
Apparently, the word chino is a familiar one on the Mallorca training ground. Aguirre has expressed his dissatisfaction with Mallorca’s playing time this season, claiming that it’s “because they broadcast it from Korea”. 스포츠토토
In other words, he was using a racial slur, albeit unconsciously. This is where Aguirre’s lack of awareness of Lee’s talent shows through in his language.
In fact, Aguirre actually demanded the player’s retention as a condition of his contract. “Aguirre is relaxed about Mallorca’s offer to renew his contract,” explained Marca.
“Aguirre has also received offers from the Mexican league. He has asked the club to resign some players in order to stay.”
“Aguirre demanded that the club keep Lee in order to re-sign him. He said that the club would only negotiate a new contract if they made an effort to keep him,” it added.
Aguirre racially abused Lee in training. It’s ironic that he asked for the player’s retention as a condition of his own renewal.