Tottenham’s Rodrigo Bentancur has been handed a lengthy ban following comments about Son Heung-min. The Uruguay midfielder is set to miss an extended period for Spurs.
The English FA suspended Bentancur for seven games and fined him £ 100,000 for controversial remarks made during a Uruguayan television interview. In the interview, Bentancur stated that “all South Korean people look the same,” a comment he later apologized for in June, calling it a “bad joke.”
On Instagram, Bentancur expressed remorse: “[Sonny] brother! I apologize to you for what happened. It was just a very bad joke! You know I love you and would never disrespect or hurt you or anyone else! I love you, brother!”
An FA spokesperson stated: “An independent regulatory commission has imposed a seven-match suspension and £100,000 fine on Rodrigo Bentancur for a breach of FA Rule E3 about a media interview.
“It was alleged that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder about E3.1 as he acted improperly and/or used abusive or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute.
“It was further alleged this constitutes an ‘aggravated breach,’ defined in FA Rule E3.2, as it included a reference—whether express or implied—to nationality, race, or ethnic origin.
“Rodrigo Bentancur denied the charge, but the independent Regulatory Commission found it proven and imposed these sanctions following a hearing.”
