Within a week of the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, an international scandal broke out in the stands. On June 11, after the South Korean team defeated the Czech Republic 2-0 at the Guadalajara Stadium, Korean influencer Ino Cat was recording a celebration video in the stands. In the frame, a man wearing a green Mexico jersey behind her pulled his eyes sideways, making a "slanted-eye" gesture. The video quickly went viral on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Ino Cat captioned it: "You come all the way to the World Cup... and face racism."
I didn't pay much attention at first, until some senior members in the Malags GIS group (e.g., @caoyy) uncovered that this man is also a GIS professional — a peer of ours. Upon searching, I found that netizens had already identified him: Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes, President of the College of Surveying and Geoinformation Engineers of Jalisco (CITGEJ) in Mexico. By professional affiliation, he is indeed a GISer.
About CITGEJ
Founded in 2015, CITGEJ is the first professional association for surveying, geodesy, and geoinformation engineers in the state of Jalisco. Its members are mostly graduates in surveying and geoinformation engineering from the University of Guadalajara (UDG) and other institutions. Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes is a representative figure in the surveying and geoinformation engineering industry in Jalisco, Mexico.
The association's daily work includes promoting professional certification and continuing education, signing industry-university cooperation agreements with universities, and participating in public affairs such as urban transportation and territorial spatial planning. During Bernal's tenure as president, CITGEJ proposed to the state government the establishment of a multidisciplinary technical working group to address traffic congestion on López Mateos Avenue, a major artery in the Guadalajara metropolitan area, and expressed willingness to contribute its technical expertise to urban governance.
In Chinese terms, CITGEJ is roughly equivalent to a provincial society of surveying and mapping or a provincial geoinformation industry association — both a self-regulatory body for surveying and geoinformation professionals and an organization responsible for professional certification, continuing education, industry-academia liaison, and public advocacy.
Aftermath
On June 13, CITGEJ initiated an internal review and confirmed the removal of Bernal from his presidency. The following day, he posted an apology video in both English and Spanish on Instagram and resigned, offering to apologize in person to Ino Cat. South Korean scholar Seo Kyoung-duk called on FIFA to intervene, and some netizens also demanded an investigation by Mexico's National Council to Prevent Discrimination (CONAPRED). As of press time, FIFA has not issued further disciplinary notices.
Summary
I used to think that those who study geography would understand the vastness and diversity of the world better than most, and would respect that different cultures and faces all belong to the same planet. Bernal, as president of a professional association, did the opposite in the highly visible World Cup stands. It's a regrettable reminder for all GIS peers.
But then again, your GIS peer had time to attend the World Cup in person. What do you have? A weekend off? (I didn't say that — someone in the group did.)