Ex-Tottenham player leaves position following claims he made an offensive gesture.

Former Tottenham defender Mauricio Taricco has found himself at the centre of a major dispute after being accused of making a racist gesture, leading to his resignation from his coaching role.

Taricco, who spent four years at White Hart Lane after joining Spurs in 1998 and made 130 appearances, later transitioned into coaching with spells at Sunderland, AEK Athens, and Real Betis. He had recently been serving on the coaching staff of former Spurs midfielder Gus Poyet at Jeonbuk Motors in South Korea.

The 52-year-old was handed a fine and a five-match ban for allegedly making a racist gesture during a November 8 clash with Daejeon Hana Citizen. During a heated exchange with the referee over a penalty call, he reportedly shouted “racista” while making a slanted-eye gesture.

Taricco has announced his resignation, arguing that South Korean football officials have wrongly branded him a racist. He maintains the gesture was misunderstood. In a statement (via The Sun), he insisted he has always worked respectfully with people from diverse backgrounds and called the incident a misinterpretation that failed to consider cultural nuance. He added that he now wants to continue his career somewhere he feels “safe, respected, and equal before the law,” and expressed gratitude to Jeonbuk, the squad, and fans for their support.

While the K-League rejected Taricco’s explanation—he claimed he was signalling that the referee hadn’t properly seen a handball—Jeonbuk Motors plan to appeal the verdict. The club maintains there was no intention of racial discrimination and hopes the review process will lead to a fairer outcome.