FC Seoul hit with record fine for using sex dolls to fill stands
South Korea’s FC Seoul have been hit with a record fine of 100 million won which is approximately €74,000 for the use of sex dolls in filling seats during a match that was held behind closed doors.
The act by the club has been described as a deep humiliation to female fans by officials of the K-League. It can be recalled that spectators are barred from attending games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Therefore, FC Seoul decided to use dozens of dolls wearing T-shirts and holding placards to fill some stadium seats during the game on Sunday. The placards contained the logo of a sex-toy seller.
The incident has been a major headline worldwide and after a review of the case, the K-League accepted the club’s claim that they did not know that the mannequins were sex toys.
However, they pointed out that the club should have recognized their use with some common sense and experience.
The statement released on Wednesday read: “The controversy over this ‘real doll’ incident has deeply humiliated and hurt women fans (and) damaged the integrity of the league”
This was followed by FC Seoul being handed the largest fine in history. The club accepted the decision, tendered an apology, and promised that it would never happen again.
According to reports. a mannequin distributor was introduced to FC Seoul after initially approaching the K-League with an offer to provide its products to fill up empty stands for free.
FC Seoul disclosed that they had asked the police to investigate the provider. Meanwhile, football action has since returned to the K-League as the new season began on 9 May after being postponed for more than two months due to coronavirus.
In a bid to make the stands lively, clubs have employed the use of placards, banners, cardboard cutouts to fill up their respective stands. However, fans were left unimpressed with the use of sex dolls.
