Son Heung-min Foul Sparks "Martial Arts" Comment by UK Commentator... Racism Controversy

Son Heung-min Tackling Compared to Martial Arts Sparks Fierce Criticism
Previously Also Faced Backlash for Remarks on Ukraine

Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham Hotspur), who plays in the English Premier League (EPL), has become embroiled in a racial discrimination controversy after a famous commentator compared a foul situation involving him to ‘martial arts’.

Son Heung-min started in the away match against Liverpool in the 34th round of the 2022-23 EPL season held on the 1st (Korean time). Around the 7th minute of the second half, with Tottenham trailing 1-3, Son attempted a tackle to stop Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo’s counterattack, during which he committed a foul by grabbing Gakpo’s arm and received a yellow card.

Upon seeing this, veteran British commentator Martin Tyler (77) of Sky Sports remarked that Son was practicing “martial arts.” Martial arts is a term used to describe East Asian disciplines such as Taekwondo, Kung Fu, and Judo, which do not use weapons. The comment that the Asian player Son Heung-min was doing martial arts could be perceived as racially discriminatory.

In response, the British newspaper The Sun reported, “Tyler made a racially discriminatory remark toward Tottenham star Son Heung-min,” adding that “fans are criticizing Tyler for making a racist comment during the live broadcast.” The Daily Mail also reported, “Some fans claim Tyler’s words were racist.”

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

One fan tweeted, “It is unacceptable to say ‘martial arts’ when an Asian player receives a yellow card,” and pointed out, “‘No Room for Racism’ is not just a slogan.”

Other fans have also raised their voices on social media, saying, “Sky Sports should retire Tyler,” “He should have apologized immediately after the match,” and “The ‘martial arts’ comment is disgusting.”

However, neither Tyler himself nor Sky Sports has yet issued a statement. This is not the first time Tyler has caused controversy with a slip of the tongue.

Last year, during the height of the Russia-Ukraine war, while commentating on the UEFA World Cup Qatar playoff between Ukraine and Wales, Tyler faced backlash and apologized after telling injured Ukrainian goalkeeper Heorhiy Bushchan to “soldier on.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.