Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been banned for seven matches after making a racist remark about South Korean people while discussing teammate Son Heung-min during a TV interview. The Football Association confirmed on Monday that the 27-year-old was charged in September for comments made during an interview in Uruguay in June. While Bentancur denied the allegations, an independent regulatory commission upheld the charge and imposed the ban, along with a £100,000 fine ($126,160). The suspension will apply to domestic league matches for the rest of the season, but Bentancur will remain eligible to play in Spurs’ Europa League fixtures.
The FA alleged that Bentancur breached Rule E3 in an interview. He said he made the remark while being asked by a presenter for a Spurs shirt and responded that it could be his teammate Son’s because they both “look the same.” The incident was also deemed an aggravated breach as it included a reference—express or implied—to nationality, race, or ethnicity, which is an additional offense under the game’s rules.
During the interview on the Canal 10 TV show Por La Camiseta, Bentancur was asked to provide a Spurs shirt for the presenter to try on. He replied that he could give them Son’s jersey because they both looked the same. He later apologized for his remarks, saying he did not mean to offend Son.
Son accepted Bentancur’s apology, stating that they are “brothers” and that the incident was in the past. However, the fact that Bentancur will now miss so many Tottenham matches is a blow to Ange Postecoglou’s midfield options. The Frenchman will have to turn to either Yves Bissouma or Archie Gray, who started last weekend’s 2-1 loss at Ipswich Town.
It is the most extended domestic ban issued for such an offense since Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was suspended for eight matches in 2011. The incident was ruled to have been a serious breach of FA rules, and Bentancur is likely to appeal the sanction.
The FA said that the sanction reflects the seriousness of the breach and the fact that it was an aggravated breach. It added that it did not accept Bentancur’s argument that his comments were made in good faith, as he did not intend to offend Son. The FA statement continued, “We believe the sanction is appropriate as it is considered that the remark was both offensive and of a nature which caused the public to be led to misunderstand that the midfielder was making an adverse inference against Son’s ethnicity or race.” The sanction can still be appealed by Bentancur, who will return to domestic action on 26 December. He will miss Premier League matches against Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea and Spurs’ League Cup quarter-final against Manchester United.