Bentancur hit with seven-game ban, hefty fine for racist comments at Heung-min
The Uruguay international has been slapped with a £100,000 fine and a seven-match ban by the FA for his discriminatory words about Son and Korean people. The FA had charged the Uruguay international in September over his comments on his colleague. During pre-season, Bentancur had joked that people from the Asian nation “all look the same” in a TV interview when asked for Son’s shirt.
The official statement from the FA read: “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 as he acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought 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. Rodrigo Bentancur denied this charge, but the independent Regulatory Commission found it to be proven and imposed his sanctions following a hearing. Its written reasons for these decisions can be seen below.”
Soon after his comments went viral, the midfielder apologised to the Spurs captain in a public social media post. Son later said his team-mate almost broke down in tears when they next met and that he had already forgiven him. The Uruguayan’s absence will come as a significant blow to Tottenham as he has regularly featured in Ange Postecoglou’s starting line-up in the 2024-25 campaign.
Postecoglou’s side will be back in action after the international break as they take on reigning champions Manchester City in a Premier League clash on Saturday at Etihad Stadium.
