[Official Announcement] 'Rescuing citizens from burning vehicle' GwangjuFC four receive commendation... 'SNS controversy' Vandery receives 2 million won fine

*This content was translated by AI.

The Korea Professional Football League (K-League) awarded commendations to GwangjuFC players and staff who performed life-saving activities at a road traffic accident scene. Meanwhile, Cheongju FC attacker Vandery was disciplined with a fine for posting complaints about referee decisions and racially discriminatory expressions on social networking services (SNS).

The league finalized the commendation for GwangjuFC and the disciplinary action against Vandery of Cheongju FC at its fifth disciplinary committee meeting held on the 13th.

On the 14th, the league's disciplinary committee decided to award commendations to four individuals from GwangjuFC who risked their lives to rescue citizens: Shin Chang-moo, Friedyonsen, trainer Lee In-seong, and chief instructor Kim Jong-mun.

According to the league, these individuals witnessed a head-on collision between a truck and a passenger car that occurred just in front of their bus at around 2:30 a.m. on the 9th while returning to Gwangju after completing an away match against Bucheon FC in K League 1 on the previous day. At the time of the accident, the truck had overturned on the road, and the passenger car was engulfed in flames, creating a very critical situation.

Immediately upon witnessing the accident, Shin Chang-moo stopped the bus and got off to check the driver's condition. Friedyonsen and trainer Lee In-seong then joined him to quickly rescue the driver trapped inside the vehicle. At the same time, chief instructor Kim Jong-mun ran with a fire extinguisher from the players' bus and initially suppressed the fire in the passenger car. The team then safely checked on the rescued driver's condition before handing them over to firefighters who arrived at the scene.

The disciplinary committee stated that the commendation was given because they quickly launched rescue activities despite the dangerous situation, significantly contributing to preventing loss of life, demonstrating exemplary civic spirit, and enhancing the status of K League.

Meanwhile, Vandery of Cheongju FC, who caused controversy by posting inappropriate content on SNS, was ordered to pay a fine of 2 million won and was given a stern warning regarding future use of SNS.

Vandery posted comments denying referee decisions and expressions that could be interpreted as racially discriminatory on his personal SNS account after the K League 2 Round 20 match against Suwon Samsung at Cheongju Stadium on the 1st.

The disciplinary committee determined that expressions related to bananas and primates are recognized as representative symbolic expressions used to discriminate or dehumanize specific races in the football world, thus holding the player accountable. However, considering that the target of the offense was not directly specified, that he merely shared a post written by an acquaintance, and his testimony at the disciplinary committee hearing, they judged that the severity of the violation was not extremely high.

Furthermore, the league held Vandery responsible for posting negative content related to referee decisions on SNS, in accordance with the league's disciplinary regulations. The league emphasized that due to the wide reach of social media, such actions could appear as undermining the authority of referees and stressed the need for heightened responsibility and caution befitting a professional player.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.