'Banana + Gorilla' Emoji Sparks Racial Discrimination Controversy... Cheongju's Vandeira Issues Hangul Apology: "No Intent to Insult"

*This content was translated by AI.

Foreign player Vandeira (25) of K League 2 club Cheongju FC became embroiled in a racial discrimination controversy after sharing a social media post following the match against Suwon Samsung. Vandeira posted an explanation in Hangul, stating, "There was absolutely no intent to insult any specific individual."

Cheongju drew 2-2 with Suwon in their home match at Cheongju Stadium on the 1st as part of the Hana Bank K League 2 2026 Round 20.

For Cheongju, it was a particularly disappointing match. They took a 2-0 lead with Garcia scoring the opening goal in the 28th minute of the first half and Jeong Jin-woo adding another in the 7th minute of the second half, but they could not maintain their two-goal advantage.

Suwon also displayed incredible resilience in the final stages of the match. Heiss scored twice to level the score at 2-2. In the 11th minute of stoppage time, Dubitskas appeared poised to score a dramatic equalizer with a header.

However, referee Seo Dong-hwan ruled that Dubitskas had pushed a Cheongju defender while attempting the header, calling an offensive foul. Suwon's potential equalizer was disallowed, and the referee immediately blew the final whistle.

Several controversies followed the match, including strong dissatisfaction from Suwon manager Lee Jeong-hyo regarding the refereeing decisions.

Vandeira's social media post was among these incidents. After the match, Vandeira shared multiple banana emojis on his Instagram story alongside clips from the Suwon game. Another post featured an emoji combination in the format "banana + banana = gorilla."

Bananas and gorillas are expressions sometimes used in a racially discriminatory context. As some football fans expressed discomfort through online communities, the controversy surrounding Vandeira's posts spread further.

In response, Vandeira immediately posted an explanation written in Hangul.

Vandeira explained, "The post was a story shared by my African friend living in Portugal to celebrate my assists in the last two matches."

He continued, "In Portugal, assists are often expressed with bananas. I simply shared my friend's congratulations with gratitude and had absolutely no discriminatory intent or intention to insult any specific individual."

He also mentioned his family background. Vandeira stated, "My parents are from Africa, and I have grown up with a family of diverse cultures and backgrounds. Therefore, racial discrimination and discriminatory expressions are values I never aspire to uphold."

However, he acknowledged that some viewers may have felt uncomfortable despite his intentions. He said, "Regardless of my intent, I am taking seriously the fact that some people who saw this post felt uncomfortable."

He added, "While playing in Korea, I have learned about Korean culture, emotions, and the importance of social responsibility. Going forward, I will act more carefully and strive to be a player who does not disappoint many people."

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*This content was translated by AI.