Korean YouTuber who faced racist mockery stirs backlash for using Messi jersey as mop

A Korean influencer invited by FIFA to a South Korea-Mexico match after being racially mocked by a Mexican spectator during the 2026 North and Central America World Cup has stirred controversy by posting a video ridiculing Lionel Messi.

The influencer, known as Innonyang, posted a video Monday on her social media showing an Argentina national team jersey bearing Messi's name and the number 10 spread on the floor in front of a shoe rack. In the clip, she uses the jersey as a doormat and a cleaning rag, captioning it "the best way to make use of a Messi jersey."

In the video, she steps on the jersey and uses it to wipe windows and a living room floor, treating it like an actual mop.

Some soccer fans strongly criticized the act, calling it a mockery not just of Messi personally but of the Argentine national team and its supporters.

Others pointed out the contradiction in someone who had herself been a victim of racial discrimination just a month earlier now producing content that mocks a foreign athlete. "Someone who stood against discrimination is reproducing another form of hatred," some critics said.

Innonyang drew widespread attention after revealing that a Mexican spectator sitting behind her had subjected her to a racist "eye-pulling" gesture while she was filming a cheering video during South Korea's group-stage match against the Czech Republic at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America.

FIFA identified the perpetrator and suspended his ticketing account. The organization then invited Innonyang to an official event at the South Korea-Mexico match held on World Day Against Hate Speech, delivering a message against racism and in support of respect. The perpetrator was identified as Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes, president of the Civil, Topographic, Geometric and Engineering Association of Jalisco, Mexico (CITGEJ).

As the backlash spread, Bernal Miramontes posted an apology video on Instagram, saying he had hoped foreigners visiting Mexico would feel at home but that he had done the exact opposite. "I sincerely apologize to the influencer, the Korean community, and my fellow Mexicans who were disappointed by my actions," he said. He also stepped down as president of the engineering association.