Tottenham footballer Rodrigo Bentancur has been banned for seven matches and fined £100,000 after an independent regulatory commission ruled on his racist remarks about teammate Son Heung-min.
Spurs will be without their key midfielder for an extended period following the commission’s verdict, as reported by several outlets.
According to Football London, Bentancur was charged after making the comments during a pre-season interview. The Football Association imposed a seven-match suspension covering domestic fixtures and a £100,000 fine.
Bentancur, a key player under manager Ange Postecoglou, has been instrumental for Spurs this season, missing only one Premier League match due to concussion. However, the Uruguayan midfielder’s suspension leaves Postecoglou with a significant gap in his squad.
The FA’s statement on Monday 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 by acting improperly, using abusive and/or insulting words, and bringing 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.”
Bentacur racial slur
BBC, in its Monday report, said Bentancur, who has also been fined £100,000, was charged by the FA in September after comments made while appearing on TV in his home country of Uruguay in June.
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.
The Independent reports that the former Juventus player Bentancur replied: “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”
While an apology from Bentancur was swiftly forthcoming, due to this being an “aggravated breach,” an independent regulatory commission panel was 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, though he will be eligible to feature for the club in upcoming Europa League matches with Roma and Rangers.