Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been banned for seven matches by the Soccer Affiliation (FA) and handed a £100,000 high quality over feedback he made about his team-mate Son Heung-min.
Bentancur mentioned that South Korea worldwide Son and his cousins “all look the identical” on tv programme Por La Camiseta, which is broadcast in his native Uruguay, in June. The 27-year-old later apologised on social media.
Bentancur was charged by the FA in September and was accused of performing “in an improper method and/or used abusive and/or insulting phrases and/or introduced the sport into disrepute.” The FA added in an announcement that the cost additional constituted an “aggravated breach” below FA Rule E3.2, because it allegedly concerned references to nationality, race, or ethnic origin”.
The Athletic requested Son throughout a press convention later in September about his response to the cost and his relationship with Bentancur.
“The method is with the FA and that’s why I can’t say a lot about it, however I like Rodrigo,” Son mentioned. “I repeat: I like him, I like him.
“We had a variety of good reminiscences, we began enjoying collectively when he joined. He apologised straight afterwards, you realize, after we had a vacation.
“I used to be at house and I didn’t even realise what was occurring. He simply despatched me an extended textual content message that you might really feel was coming from his coronary heart. Afterwards, when he got here again to the coaching floor for pre-season, he identical to felt actually sorry and nearly like cried when he apologised publicly and in addition personally as effectively. It felt like he feels actually sorry.”
Bentancur denied the FA cost however an unbiased regulatory fee discovered him responsible and determined the punishment following a listening to.
The Uruguay worldwide will miss Tottenham’s upcoming Premier League video games towards Manchester City, Fulham, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Southampton and Liverpool and their Carabao Cup quarter-final tie with Manchester United in December. He’ll nonetheless be out there to play for them within the Europa League.
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Rodrigo Bentancur’s seven-game ban explained: What the Spurs player did and what he’ll miss
(Julian Finney/Getty Pictures)
