Mexican official removed after racist gesture caught in viral World Cup video

A South Korean social media creator said she experienced racism while filming a World Cup 2026 celebration in Guadalajara, Mexico. Yoon Su-jin, who has nearly 9 million followers on TikTok and YouTube, was recording herself after South Korea’s comeback win over the Czech Republic when a Mexican fan appeared behind her, smiled, gestured toward the camera, and pulled his eyes sideways in a move widely seen as racist toward Asians.

Yoon noticed what was happening in real time and looked embarrassed. She wrote to her followers in Korean, “I traveled all the way to Mexico for the World Cup, but... maybe I’m too sensitive?” In another post, she added, “I flew to the other side of the world for the World Cup, and experienced racism.”

The clip quickly went viral and drew strong backlash online. Many commenters apologized to Yoon and said the behavior did not represent Mexicans, while others said it ran against the spirit of the World Cup and Mexico’s image as host. The man in the video was identified as Ulises Bernal Miramontes, president of the Jalisco state association of topographic and geodetic engineers.

A spokesman for the association said its honor and discipline committee met after the video spread and decided to remove Bernal from his post. “We are very sad about the incident,” the association said. FIFA has not yet responded, according to reports. The episode comes just before South Korea and Mexico meet on Friday, June 19, at Guadalajara Stadium in their second Group One match, a game that could decide the group leader, since both teams opened the tournament with wins.