Los Angeles FC forward Son Heung-min celebrates during the first half against New York City FC at Citi Field in New York, on Oct 17.REUTERS/YONHAP
The alleged "ni hao" taunt towards Korean football star Son Heung-min was an affectionate chant lost in translation from Spanish, according to the fan who had been accused of harassing the superstar footballer.
"I'm getting tagged and sent messages from all sorts of different platforms claiming I was yelling out racial slurs when that is in fact not true," wrote the fan in an online post.
The fan, who explained himself as "the guy with the big hat that sits in the front row," went viral after a video of him shouting what a user claimed sounded like "ni hao," Mandarin for hello and often used in a racist context, was posted on Monday after the Sunday game.
“This man straight up yelled nihao nihao at Sonny when he circled the field to thank the fans after the game,” the user who posted the video wrote on X.
A report by the New York Post noted that other LAFC fans recognized the man who shouted the remarks because he is a regular attendee of LAFC matches. The footage also shows Son looking toward the spectator.
However, what he meant was far from derogatory but an expression of affection, according to the new explanatory post.
“I yelled out his name in Spanish, which is ‘Mijo,’” said the post. “There was another fan next to me who thought I yelled out Nihau, which means hello in Mandarin. When she asked me if I said that, I said no, as I actually didn’t even know what that meant or what she was talking about.”
A Los Angeles FC fan accused of shouting racist remarks at football player Son Heung-min explains the situation in a statement they uploaded on social media.SCREEN CAPTURE
"Mijo" is a colloquial Spanish contraction of “mi hijo,” meaning "my son.” The nickname is an affectionate twist on the word “son” and the Korean player’s last name, Son.
"I literally thought she was going to compliment me on speaking Korean," the fan wrote.
The backlash hit close to home.
"I've been a season ticket holder since day 1, I travel to see our team play at away stadiums," the post said. "I have love and passion for this team and to have my name dragged in the dirt like this is not cool.”
He has reached out to the LAFC’s front office and is waiting for a response, according to the post.
