Colombia midfielder Edwin Cardona has been given a five-match suspension for making a racist Asian gesture.
The incident occurred during a friendly match between Colombia and South Korea that ended in a 2-1 win for the South Korean home side.
“I didn’t mean to disrespect anyone, a country or a race, but if anyone felt offended, or interpreted it in that way, I am sorry,”Cardona said in a video posted on the Colombia team’s Twitter account.
“I want to say I am not an aggressive person,” he added. “I am sorry that something that happened during the game has been misinterpreted.”
Fox Sports Asia reports that Cardona has been given a five-match suspension by FIFA for the gesture.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee ruled that the Colombian made a “discriminatory gesture” during match.
Despite calls for a more severe punishment, including John Duerden demanding that Cardona should be removed from next summer’s World Cup, FIFA said the suspension would be “served during the upcoming friendly matches”.
