Soccer club apologizes for allegedly placing sex dolls in stands
Seoul, May 18 (efe-epa).- South Korean soccer club FC Seoul apologized after being accused of placing sex dolls in the stands during a game on Sunday in place of spectators, who were unable to go to the stadium because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The manufacturer of the dolls stressed they were not products with sexual connotations but simple mannequins, according to a statement by the Seoul team on social media.
The alleged sex dolls were placed on the seats in place of regular spectators during the FC Seoul’s 1-0 victory over Gwangju FC at the World Cup Stadium in the South Korean capital.
The club said that its intention was to add an element of fun and encouragement without erotic nuances in the face of the difficult situation of the pandemic.
However, during the match some social media users who were watching the broadcast believed that the mannequins looked like sex dolls.
The mannequins were placed at a distance appropriate for maintaining social distancing, and were dressed in the club’s sportswear and masks, with their arms placed in a way as to form a wave or messages of encouragement to the home team, as could be seen in the images taken by Yonhap news agency.
However, a Twitter user pointed out that there were messages referring to live-streaming of sexual content on the signs held by mannequins.
The club admitted that this was an error and had no justification, adding that it happened due to a lack of attention on the part of the staff concerning what the posters said in their fine print.
FC Seoul concluded its statement promising to take steps to prevent such a misunderstanding and oversight from happening again in the future; while the website of the mannequin manufacturer, Dalkom, has been temporarily shut.
On May 8, the South Korean professional soccer league, or K-League, kicked off with matches behind closed-doors and a shortened schedule after the start was delayed by more than two months due to the coronavirus crisis.
Sporting competitions have been permitted to resume in the Asian country after it was successfully able to control the rapid spread of COVID-19 infections. EFE-EPA
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