Man Fired From Job For Racist Gesture At Korean Fan During World Cup

The World Cup only rolls around once every four years, and all the pent-up patriotism can make fans act erratically in the stands.

Finding out the hard way was a man named Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes.

It started when South Korean influencer and YouTuber Yoon Su Jin—who goes by Ino Cat—was cheering on her home country in the South Korea versus the Czech Republic game.

She was documenting the moment in the stadium, taking a selfie video, and waving into the camera. Behind her, you can see a man, later identified as Miramontes, wearing a Mexico kit. He starts off just pointing at his drink, but as she zooms in, he grabs the corner of his eye to make them seem smaller, which is an offensive gesture to Asian people.

Ino Cat captioned the Instagram reel, “POV: You traveled across the world for the World Cup… and experienced racism.”

Her 600,000 IG followers—not to mention another 2.3 million on TikTok—eventually identified him as Miramontes, and he issued an apology and promised to learn from the mistake.

“I sincerely regret everything this situation has caused. I have taken time to reflect on what happened, and I understand the responsibility I have in this moment,” he said in a statement, according to Yahoo Sports. “Throughout my personal and professional life, I’ve always tried to treat others with respect, and I will continue working to ensure that my actions consistently reflect those values.”

The apology wasn’t enough, and he was out of a job after having been president of the College of Geomatics and Topographic Surveying Engineers of the State of Jalisco in Mexico (Citgej).

“In accordance with our statutes and regulations, the matter will be reviewed through the corresponding internal mechanisms,” Citgej’s board of directors said in a statement after initially just launching an internal review, saying his actions are something the organization “deeply regrets.” 

They promise to underscore their ongoing mission of “promoting a culture of respect, hospitality, and healthy coexistence for all people.”

As for Ino Cat, she is enjoying other matches and rocking other jerseys like Lionel Messi’s Argentina kit, Japan’s, and even Mexico’s.

See social media’s reaction below.