Racist abuse aimed at Hwang Hee-Chan mars Wolves' training game against Cesc Fabregas' Como, as Daniel Podence is sent off for throwing a punch at opponent

Premier League side Wolves met Cesc Fabregas' Como - recently promoted to Serie A - in a behind-closed-doors friendly. Gary O'Neil's side were leading 1-0 when Podence clashed with an opponent, leading to punches being thrown and the Portugal international being dismissed. South Korean striker Hwang then accused a Como player of making a racist comment but opted to play on after discussions with his team-mates and manager.

O'Neil confirmed to the media that Hwang had reported racist abuse. He said: "Hee-chan heard a racist remark. You could see a coming together and Hee-chan was clearly upset by it, as were the lads, you could hear a lot of them trying to comfort Hee-chan and stick up for him.

"I spoke to Hee-chan and asked if he wanted us to take the team off and he didn’t, he wanted the team to continue. I asked him if he wanted to come off and he didn’t, he was keen to continue. Fair play to him, to suffer something like that and still put the team first, shows what he is to us and how important he is to us. He’ll get our full support and we’ll make sure he’s OK. It’s really disappointing. It’s a pre-season training game and it was a decent game before then."

Racism in football is becoming all too familiar and for it to happen in a good-hearted pre-season match is extremely concerning. The incident, whether it be in a packed stadium or behind closed doors, should be dealt with appropriately and steps will be taken by both clubs to weed out those involved and ensure the right sanctions are handed out.

Pre-season will continue as planned for both Wolves and Como. Fabregas will have a lot of eyes on him as he steps into the spotlight in Serie A. For O'Neil and Wolves, they are gearing up for another eagerly anticipated Premier League campaign. They start their season against Arsenal on 17 August.