Seoul (AFP)
FC Seoul has been fined a record 100 million won (74,000 euros) for filling its empty stands with sex dolls, the South Korean Football League said the club "deeply humiliated its female fans" ".
FC Seoul is under fire from critics for deploying dozens of silicone dummies during a match against Gwangju FC on Sunday to partially replace supporters in empty stands due to the coronavirus.
The K-League imposed the heaviest fine it had decided on in 38 years of existence.
The models with seductive silhouettes, who wore T-shirts and held signs of a sex toy seller, made the headlines of the whole planet.
After studying the file, the K-League accepted the argument put forward by FC Seoul that it did not know it was sex toys.
The League, however, stressed that he "could easily have recognized their use by showing common sense and experience".
"The controversy surrounding this incident (...) deeply humiliated and hurt female fans (and) undermined the integrity of the league," the K-League said in a statement on Wednesday.
FC Seoul, who accepted the decision, apologized and promised that the events would not happen again.
According to media reports, the company that distributes these models contacted the K-League by offering to provide its products free of charge to fill its empty stands. It was then presented to FC Seoul.
The K-League, the South Korean first division championship, resumed on May 8 without any spectators in the stadiums after more than two months of stopping to curb the epidemic of coronavirus.
To garnish their stands despite the closed door, most clubs used posters, banners or cardboard effigies of supporters.
"I wonder how they got this weird idea. It's an international shame," one detractor said online.
"FC Seoul has transformed its stadium into a classified X zone," added a supporter.
© 2020 AFP