Tottenham star Rodrigo Bentancur facing ban after being charged by FA over Son Heung-min comments
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur is once again in the spotlight, this time for his comments off the field.
Back in June, the Uruguay international suggested that all South Korean people “look the same” during a Uruguayan TV interview. The host of the Canal 10 show had asked him for a Tottenham shirt, to which he replied: “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”
After anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out said it had received a “significant number” of complaints, the 27-year-old later apologized on Instagram and said his comments were a “very bad joke”. He also said sorry to Son Heung-min and the Tottenham skipper, who accepted the confession and insisted that his teammate had “made a mistake”.
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Despite the player’s apology, the FA have made the decision to charge him. According to a report from The Guardian, Rodrigo Bentancur has been charged by the Football Association (FA) for using a racial slur about teammate Son Heung-min.
A statement from the FA said: “Rodrigo Bentancur has been charged with an alleged breach of FA Rule E3 for misconduct in relation to a media interview. It’s alleged that the Tottenham midfielder has 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’s 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 has until Thursday 19 September 2024 to provide a response to this charge.”
As per a separate from Football London, Bentancur could now face a minimum ban of six games. It could even rise to 12 games, although that is unlikely. Nonetheless, the Uruguay international will be available for selection in the upcoming North London Derby showdown against Arsenal on Sunday.
Things haven’t been smooth sailing for the central midfielder since the start of 2023. He ruptured the ACL in his left knee in Spurs’ 4-1 win over Leicester City back in February 2023 which ruled him out for several months. The Nueva Helvecia-born talent recovered from the serious knee injury and returned to competitive football in November last year, only for tearing a ligament in his ankle.
He went to the Copa America in the summer, and after Uruguay’s semi-final defeat to Colombia, Bentancur was infamously involved in clashes between his nation’s players and the opposition fans. For his part in the ugly scenes, he has been handed a four-game international ban and fined.
In Spurs’ season-opener away to Leicester City, Bentancur suffered a clash of heads with Abdul Fatawu. Having been stretchered off the field, the £75,000-per-week ace missed the next game against Everton due to concussion protocol.
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If he accepts the charges, the potential suspensions would be a significant setback to Bentancur and Spurs. With the Premier League and European fixtures mounting, the Uruguayan’s unavailability for the upcoming games would disrupt Ange Postecoglou’s plans to utilize his squad.
Bentancur definitely crossed the line and has been rightly punished by the FA. It now remains to be seen how many games will he miss if the Spurs star accepts the charges before September 19.
