Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been banned for seven matches following a racist comment he made about South Koreans while discussing his teammate Son Heung-min during a television appearance, the Football Association (FA) announced on Monday.
Bentancur, who initially denied the charge, was found guilty by an independent regulatory commission, which imposed the ban and fined him £100,000 ($126,160).
The FA stated that the Uruguayan midfielder “acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute.” The breach was deemed “aggravated” because it involved a reference to nationality, race, or ethnic origin.
The incident occurred in June during an appearance on the Uruguayan TV show Por La Camiseta. Host Rafa Cotelo asked Bentancur for a shirt from one of his Spurs teammates. Bentancur responded, “Sonny’s? Or one of Sonny’s cousins, as they all look more or less the same.”
The FA first charged the 27-year-old in September. Son Heung-min later commented that there was no animosity between him and Bentancur over the incident. Bentancur had apologized to Son in June after a short clip from the show went viral.
The commission acknowledged Bentancur’s initial remorse, noting that he showed “full and (we have no doubt) sincere apologies.” However, the written reasons for the decision also criticized Bentancur for later denying the charge, suggesting it contradicted his earlier contrition.
Although Bentancur played in Uruguay’s recent 3-2 victory over Colombia in a 2026 World Cup qualifier, he will miss several key fixtures for Tottenham. The suspension applies to domestic competitions, which means he will be sidelined for Premier League matches, including a crucial away game against Manchester City and home ties against Liverpool and Chelsea.
He will also miss the League Cup quarter-final against Manchester United. However, he remains eligible to participate in Tottenham’s Europa League games and will return to domestic action on December 26.
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