Tottenham Hotspur’s Rodrigo Bentancur banned for seven games over comment about teammate Son Heung-min
By George Ramsay, CNN
(CNN) — Tottenham Hotspur player Rodrigo Bentancur has been given a seven-match domestic suspension and fined around $126,000 (£100,000) for a comment he made in an interview about teammate Son Heung-min.
A report published by the English Football Association (FA) on Monday details how, in an interview with Uruguayan journalist Rafa Cotelo, Bentancur said that South Korean international Son and his cousins “all look more or less the same.”
The report notes that the comment was subsequently posted on Cotelo’s YouTube channel as part of a 45-minute-long film.
According to the FA, the midfielder acted in “an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute” with the comment, which was judged to be an “aggravated breach” of FA regulations because it made reference to Son’s ethnicity.
Bentancur apologized for the comment earlier this year, referring to it in an Instagram post as “an unfortunate misunderstanding” and adding that “all has been clarified and solved with my friend (Son).”
The post continued: “If someone felt offended because of my words through this media tool I would like to offer my sincere apologies … I’ve never had the intention to offend directly or indirectly anyone.”
CNN has contacted Bentancur’s representatives for further comment.
In June, soon after the video clip was circulated online, Son said that Bentancur had apologized for making a “mistake,” adding that his teammate “would not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive. We are brothers and nothing has changed at all.”
Tottenham, meanwhile, said that it “fully support(s)” Son and would be providing “further education for all players in line with our diversity, equality and inclusion objectives.”
Bentancur’s suspension begins on Saturday when Tottenham faces Manchester City. He will be eligible to play again against Nottingham Forest on December 26, as well as in Europa League games.
The 27-year-old has made 14 appearances for Tottenham this season, scoring in the club’s 2-1 defeat against Ipswich on November 10.
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