LAFC Fan Under Fire for Racist Slur Against Son Heung-min
Social media users call for LAFC to revoke season ticket privileges after video captures fan yelling an ethnic slur at the South Korean player.
Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) fans are demanding action against a supporter who allegedly directed a racist slur at player Son Heung-min during the team's rivalry match against the LA Galaxy on Sunday. A video circulating on social media shows a fan, dressed in LAFC gear, yelling the Mandarin Chinese word for "hello," "ni hao," repeatedly at the South Korean player as he walked off the field. The incident occurred during the team's 2-2 draw with the LA Galaxy.
The video captured Son Heung-min glancing at the fan, indicating he heard the comment. The use of "ni hao," a greeting in Mandarin, directed at a South Korean player is being widely condemned as an insensitive and racist microaggression.
Following the video's emergence, social media users identified the individual as a season ticket holder and called for LAFC to revoke his access to games. One post on X (formerly Twitter) from an account named @peachyson7 stated, "@LAFC this man straight up yelled nihao nihao at Sonny when he circled the field to thank the fans after the game. I spoke with security and since he left Section 111 by then, they said there was little they could do. Since when was racism accepted in @MLS."
The controversy follows another incident during the same match where a video showed an LAFC fan spitting on a female LA Galaxy supporter, which also drew significant backlash online.
It remains to be seen if LAFC will issue a statement or take disciplinary action regarding the alleged racist slur directed at Son Heung-min.