A Korean YouTuber who previously went viral after being subjected to a racist “slant eye” gesture at the 2026 FIFA World Cup is facing fresh backlash after posting a now-deleted video of herself stepping on Lionel Messi’s Argentina jersey and using it to clean windows and floors.
The incident has turned the creator, once widely seen as a symbol of resistance to anti-Asian racism in football, into a target of global criticism over respect, hypocrisy and the limits of football “banter.”
유튜버 이노냥, 메시 이름 적힌 아르헨티나 유니폼을 발매트나 걸레 처럼 사용해서 논란.
최근 메시 유니폼을 바닥에 깔아 발매트 또는 유리창 또는 바닥을 닦는 용도로 사용.
상당히 선넘네.
본인 입장 : 밈으로 제작했으나, 민감성을 깨달았다. 누구를 비하하거나 증오할 목적으로 한건 아니다.… pic.twitter.com/2EYlgNsqMF
— 금푸 (@geumpu95) July 22, 2026
The influencer, known online as Ino Cat and by her legal name Yoon Su-jin, first gained international attention during Korea’s group-stage match against the Czech Republic in Guadalajara, Mexico. While filming herself in the stands, a Mexican fan seated behind her was caught on camera pulling the corners of his eyes into slits and laughing — a “slant eye” gesture long recognized as a racist mockery of Asians.
She shared the clip on social media with a caption asking if she was “being too sensitive” and writing in English, “When I experienced racial discrimination at the World Cup venue,” a post that quickly went viral and drew widespread condemnation of the man’s actions.
Online sleuths later identified the spectator as Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes, president of a regional engineering association in Jalisco. Under mounting public pressure, he released a bilingual apology, saying he wanted to offer his “most sincere apologies” to Korean fans and anyone who felt uncomfortable because of his actions, and stressed he had no intention of insulting anyone.
He resigned from his leadership position and had his World Cup ticketing privileges revoked, moves that were cited as proof that racist behavior at stadiums could carry real-world consequences.
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In the wake of the controversy, FIFA stepped in as well. The governing body invited Yoon as a VIP guest to South Korea’s next match against Mexico in Guadalajara, a game scheduled to coincide with the International Day for Countering Hate Speech.
FIFA explained that it wanted to “send a message of respect and inclusion” by having her present in the stands, and she later met members of the organization’s Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination team as part of its broader anti-racism campaign. For many, she became a visible face of the fight against anti-Asian racism in sport, a fan whose experience showed both the persistence of prejudice and the potential for institutions to respond.
That carefully built image was thrown into question after her latest video. Earlier this week, Yoon uploaded an Instagram Reel titled “How to make the most of a Messi jersey,” filmed shortly after Spain’s 1–0 victory over Argentina in the World Cup final.
In the video, she wears a Brazil national team jersey — a nod to one of Argentina’s historic rivals — and spreads an Argentina shirt printed with Messi’s name and the number 10 on the floor by her front door, stepping on it as if it were a door mat. She then uses the same jersey to wipe windows and clean her living room floor, treating it like a rag while on-screen text describes it as “the best way to utilize Messi’s jersey.”
The Reel quickly spread across social media, drawing tens of thousands of reactions and close to 10,000 critical comments from around the world. Argentina fans accused her of “insulting football culture” and lacking even “minimal courtesy or respect” toward Messi, while some Spanish supporters and even Cristiano Ronaldo fans joined in the criticism, arguing that turning a legendary player’s jersey into a cleaning cloth crosses a line.
At the same time, some Brazil and Mexico fans responded positively, treating the clip as an extreme but humorous jab at a rival footballing nation.
Underneath the jokes, a deeper discomfort surfaced among those who had previously supported her. “Considering the racist abuse you experienced during the World Cup, your behavior is not that different,” one comment reads.
Others wrote, “Why would you do something like this?” and “This goes too far.” For these viewers, a creator who had asked the world to recognize how dehumanizing a racist gesture felt was now using another country’s national symbol and beloved player as props for public humiliation.
Critics have labeled her actions “double standards,” arguing that while a jersey is not the same as someone’s face or race, national team shirts and global icons like Messi carry emotional weight for entire communities.
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They say that deliberately stepping on and dirtying a jersey on camera — especially when framed as a “how-to” — risks normalizing contempt and feeding hostility between fan bases at a time when football authorities are trying to clamp down on hate.
Supporters counter that attacking a shirt is not equivalent to racist abuse and frame the video as exaggerated rivalry, insisting that football culture has long included provocative gestures aimed at opposing teams.
Read more: BTS Entertain K-Pop Fans at World Cup Halftime Show – Just Not the Football Fans
As of now, Yoon has not issued a detailed public statement addressing the backlash, and versions of the video continue to circulate online, fueling debate in Korean, Spanish and English about where to draw the line between fandom, satire and disrespect.
For many who once saw her primarily as a victim of racism, the Messi jersey controversy has complicated that narrative, raising difficult questions about accountability when those who have been hurt by discrimination are accused of demeaning others in turn.
