Two Telemundo TV hosts suspended after making racist gestures during World Cup celebration

Steve Gardner | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption There's no escaping the ugliness behind this year's World Cup in Russia Behind the grand sporting fiesta that awaits at the 2018 FIFA World Cup the tournament has been marred by a series of subplots that painted an ugly picture before the games even got underway.

The intensity of the World Cup has the potential to lead to all kinds of offensive actions -- from players, fans or even broadcasters.

As South Korea wrapped up a stunning 2-0 upset over defending champion Germany, the hosts on Telemundo's morning show, Un Nuevo Dia, were celebrating the result -- since it helped Mexico advance to the knockout round.

Two hosts, "Chef James" Tahhan and Janice Bencosme, were caught making racist, slant-eye gestures as the cast danced and laughed on the set. As a result, Tahhan and Bencosme have been suspended by the network.

In a statement released to USA TODAY Sports on Thursday, Telemundo said the behavior was "contrary to our values and standards."

“We are extremely disappointed with our morning show contributors James Tahhan’s and Janice Bencosme’s gestures referring to the South Korean national soccer team," the statement read. "Our company takes this type of inappropriate behavior very seriously as it is contrary to our values and standards.

"As a result, both James Tahhan and Janice Bencosme have been placed on an indefinite suspension.”

Dear @Telemundo @TelemundoSports & @TLMDPR , whoever this guy is on the left needs to get fired ASAP for being a racist on air. If someone were to say or make racist gestures about Latinx folks we'd ALL be up in arms & this is no different #SayNoToRacism #TelemundoMundial pic.twitter.com/SvzSednPAd — Miguel Hernandez (@Techivist) June 27, 2018

Mexico's soccer federation was fined for "discriminatory and offensive" anti-gay chants its fans made toward Germany's goalkeeper in their World Cup opener. After players urged fans not to repeat the chant, there weren't any other incidents in Mexico's two remaining group stage matches.

Earlier in the World Cup, soccer legend Diego Maradona of Argentina made the same racist gesture toward a group of Asian fans at the Argentina vs. Iceland game. That, along with other behavioral issues, led to calls for him to leave the World Cup completely.

Baseball fans may also remember Cuban slugger Yuli Gurriel of the Houston Astros was suspended for the first five games of the 2018 regular season for making a similar slant-eye gesture after hitting a home run off Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish of the Los Angeles Dodgers in last year's World Series.

Follow Gardner on Twitter @SteveAGardner