Schalke Faces Discipline
After Son Jinho's uniform ceremony, Schalke's momentum completely crumbled.
The Schalke fans who had been chanting racist songs began falling silent one by one. Before long, the stadium echoed only with Borussia Dortmund chants.
With Dortmund firmly in control, time flew by.
[Son Jinho intercepts the ball! He's on the left flank! Lobs it right up!]
In the 23rd minute of the second half, Son Jinho stole the ball at the halfway line and whipped in an early cross with his left foot toward Lewandowski penetrating the penalty box.
[What a vision! Lewandowski's header!! Gooooal—! Dortmund's fourth goal explodes in!]
Lewandowski easily nodded the cross, aimed perfectly between the defender and keeper, into the net.
Dortmund's fourth goal—and Son Jinho breaking the Bundesliga single-season assist record.
[Schalke fans are starting to leave the stadium!]
Furious at their team's dismal performance against their rivals, Schalke supporters rose from their seats and began streaming out.
Even as disappointed Schalke fans emptied the stands, Dortmund showed no mercy, relentlessly hammering them.
Today, they had been wounded—and it wasn't nearly enough payback for the scars inflicted on us.
[Man, Son Jinho is running his heart out today.]
Schalke was helplessly pushed back in midfield by Son Jinho's relentless dashing.
[Son Jinho wins the second ball and feeds it straight to Ilkay Gündoğan!]
[Gündoğan takes it! Returns to Son Jinho!]
A step ahead on the second ball, Son Jinho linked up with Ilkay Gündoğan in a one-two to shake off pressure.
Receiving the return pass near the penalty arc, Son Jinho unleashed a ferocious right-footed strike. Thwack—!
The low, blistering shot grazed the keeper's fingertips and rattled the net.
[Goooal—! It's in! It's in!! Son Jinho's hat-trick!! A thunderbolt mid-range screamer slams into Schalke's net!!]
Seeing the net bulge, Son Jinho kissed his jersey crest and sprinted toward the Dortmund fans.
The referee's final whistle brought the long day to a close.
After the match, per Jurgen Klopp's orders, we skipped all interviews and boarded the team bus to exit the Veltins-Arena immediately.
With Dortmund and Schalke so close, we arrived at the Bracel training center shortly after boarding.
Dortmund players headed home in their cars. As usual, I hitched a ride with Jurgen Klopp.
"Jurgen, thanks for the ride again. See you at training tomorrow…."
As I thanked him and turned to head inside,
"Jino, I'll give you a few days off. Spend time with your family. They'll heal your wounded heart."
Jurgen Klopp's voice stopped me. "Got it."
I was about to refuse, but seeing the worry in his eyes, I nodded and accepted.
Opening the door, Han Gyeowol rushed over and hugged me tight.
Gyeowol's embrace…
"Son Jinho, you did great out there."
…was incredibly warm.
As German media flooded with racism coverage, dawn broke in South Korea—and the Korean SNS assault began.
Schalke's official SNS was instantly swamped with Buddhist swastika spam.
"…Looks like we need to post an apology fast. More new comments than we can delete. They make new accounts even if we block 'em."
The Schalke SNS manager chuckled helplessly at the hundreds of thousands of comments, reporting to his boss—who could only nod.
As Schalke's board drafted apologies, the German Football Association (DFB) heard about the Revier Derby racism incident.
"Ha…."
DFB reviewed footage and audio closely, plus Dortmund's formal complaint detailing the vile abuse Son Jinho endured at Veltins-Arena. "Can't just ignore this…."
Normally, an Asian player's racism case might slide—but Son Jinho was a global prospect after dazzling Barcelona.
And moreover…
"Chairman, Korean and Japanese sponsors were set to sign, but they're voicing concerns over this racism scandal."
Broadcast fees, surging since Son Jinho and Kagawa's arrivals, risked halving. "Forward our complaint and audio straight to Schalke."
DFB opted for unprecedented measures.
While I rested, events unfolded rapidly.
Starting with Jurgen Klopp, supportive figures from football sent words of comfort.
Jino, as one German citizen, I apologize on behalf of those who hurt you. Truly sorry.
German media covered it heavily.
Amid the uproar, DFB President Wolfgang Niersbach visited Dortmund's Bracel center, apologizing and pledging prevention.
Schalke issued a public apology, vowing strict punishment.
Not enough—Schalke's Jochen Schneider personally called Dortmund President Hans-Joachim Watzke and me to apologize.
I accepted. Honestly, I never imagined such proactive apologies and prevention promises.
Just look at Valencia's future mishandling for proof.
Though likely to dodge harsher penalties, Schalke formally apologized for racism.
As a result, DFB closed Veltins-Arena's North Curve (Nordkurve) for two matches.
Partial stadium closure? The punishment was harsher than expected—I was stunned.
Like Dortmund's prized Süd Tribune, Schalke's pride was the North Curve.
Shutting it sacrificed major revenue—a heavy sanction.
Originally five matches, so DFB's gravity was clear.
Surprisingly, Schalke calmly accepted DFB's ruling.
April 21, 2012.
- Jino, could you watch from the stands this match?
On club request during my break, I brought family to Signal Iduna Park.
Guided to VIP seats, just before Borussia Mönchengladbach kickoff, Dortmund launched anti-racism campaigns.
"You'll never walk alone!"
At the 10th minute (my number), Dortmund fans' anthem roared.
A card section in the Süd Tribune unfurled with messages supporting me.
"Whoa… so cool," Gyeowol gasped in awe.
But I couldn't smile at the home fans' love. …If I transfer, will I get shot?
Germany allows gun ownership.