Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been given a seven-match domestic ban by the Football Association for a racist remark made about team-mate Son Heung-min in a Uruguayan TV interview.
Bentancur was charged by the FA on September 12 with an alleged misconduct breach in relation to a media interview, which emerged in June and showed Bentancur being asked by the host of Canal 10 to show the shirt of a Spurs player.
Uruguay international Bentancur replied: “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”
An independent Regulatory Commission has imposed a seven-match suspension and £100,000 fine on Rodrigo Bentancur for a breach of FA Rule E3 in relation to a media interview.
Full statement: https://t.co/dr5Jw7Fwhq pic.twitter.com/yhJ2mhOPtC
— FA Spokesperson (@FAspokesperson) November 18, 2024
While an apology from Bentancur was swiftly forthcoming, due to this being an “aggravated breach”, an independent regulatory commission panel were required to either uphold the FA charge or dismiss the case.
The independent regulatory commission panel upheld the charge and Bentancur is set to sit out Tottenham’s next seven domestic fixtures, but he will be able to feature for the club in upcoming Europa League matches with Roma and Rangers.
The 27-year-old will miss Premier League games against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool as well as the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United. He will not return to domestic action until Boxing Day.
An FA spokesperson said: “An independent regulatory commission has imposed a seven-match suspension and £100,000 fine on Rodrigo Bentancur for a breach of FA Rule E3 in relation to a media interview.
“It was alleged that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder breached FA Rule E3.1 as he acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute.
“It was further alleged that this constitutes an ‘aggravated breach’, which is defined in FA Rule E3.2, as it included a reference – whether express or implied – to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin.
“Rodrigo Bentancur denied this charge, but the independent regulatory commission found it to be proven and imposed his sanctions following a hearing.”
In the written reasons from the commission, it was stated Bentancur’s remarks were considered to be “clearly objectively insulting and abusive”, despite evidence from the midfielder arguing the words were intended to be a “sarcastic and gentle rebuke” to the interviewer.
Rodrigo Bentancur has been banned following his comments about team-mate Son Heung-min (John Walton/PA)
In the days after the incident, Bentancur apologised to South Korea captain Son on Instagram, saying: “Sonny brother. I apologise to you for what happened, it was just a very bad joke.
“You know I love you and I would never disrespect you or hurt you or anyone else! I love you, brother!”
Son responded in a statement on Instagram, saying: “I’ve spoken with Lolo (Bentancur). He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologised.
“Lolo would not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive. We are brothers and nothing has changed at all.
“We’re past this, we’re united, and we will be back together in pre-season to fight for our club as one.”
Tottenham defender Ben Davies said the team had “put a line under (the issue) and moved on” but accepted the importance of properly investigating such matters.
Speaking on Monday at a press conference ahead of Wales’ Nations League match with Iceland, Davies, who was recently elected on to the Professional Footballers’ Association’s new players’ board, said: “It’s something at Spurs that it’s felt it’s been handled in-house – and now it’s been handled outside as well.
“Ultimately it’s important we realise these kind of things need to be looked at with a seriousness that it has been.
ℹ️ We welcome today’s decision to hold Rodrigo Bentancur accountable for using a racial slur. A significant number of reports were made to Kick It Out regarding the incident at the time, highlighting how abuse directed at players from East and Southeast Asian backgrounds not only… pic.twitter.com/AEmrCuHjEO
— Kick It Out (@kickitout) November 18, 2024
“As a group, as a team from Tottenham, we’ve kind of put a line under it and moved on.”
Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out said it had received a “significant number” of complaints in the aftermath of Bentancur’s comment.
In addition to his ban and fine, Bentancur is also required to attend a face-to-face education programme provided by the FA, which must be completed by March 11, 2025.
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