Swiss player booted for racist tweet

• AP, Tuesday, July 31, 2012 12:35 PM

Michel Morganella was kicked out of the Olympics for tweeting a threatening and racist message about South Koreans hours after Switzerland lost to South Korea, 2-1. He said in the tweet, written in French slang, that South Koreans “can go burn” and referred to them as a “bunch of mongoloids.”

Morganella, who debuted with the senior national team in May and plays the Italian club Palermo, “discriminated against, insulted and violated the dignity of the South Korea soccer team as well as the South Korean people,” Swiss Olympic team chief Gian Gilli said.

Morganella is the second athlete kicked out of the Olympics for offensive Twitter comments, following Greek triple jumper Voula Papachristou. The International Olympic Committee’s code of conduct requires athletes to show mutual respect. “In this case, we felt we have no alternative,” Gilli said.

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