Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has to work without Rodrigo Bentancur
Tottenham Hotspur have released an official statement on their appeal against the seven-match domestic suspension handed to Rodrigo Bentancur by the FA, following comments the midfielder made about teammate Son Heung-min in an interview with Uruguayan channel in June.
The Uruguayan international soon took to his official Instagram account to offer a public apology for his remarks. He also offered a private apology to Son Heung-min, who accepted it and, while the Spurs duo decided to move on from the incident, the FA decided to charge Rodrigo Bentancur.
The FA’s independent committee have decided to hand the South American a seven-match domestic suspension and fine him £100,000 as his comments were seen as an ‘aggravated breach’ of Rule E3.1. This means the player is eligible to participate in Spurs’ upcoming Europa League games against Rangers and AS Roma.
As per a report from The Telegraph, Tottenham’s Premier League rivals have been left shocked by the severity of the punishment. The Lilywhites have not contested the guilty verdict but challenged the length of the seven-game ban slapped by the FA’s independent regulatory commission as they find it is too harsh.
Like Tottenham and the majority of the fanbase, ex-scout Bryan King doesn’t think Bentancur’s punishment is fair. He also questioned the timing of the punishment and feels the central midfielder will be “out of rhythm” after he returns from the lengthy suspension.
“This could cause issues for Bentancur when he comes back,” Bryan King exclusively told Tottenham News.
“He will be out of rhythm and will need time to get back up to speed. I think this punishment was very harsh. What was the point of him apologizing if he has been punished like this, all these months later? I can’t get my head around it.
“Bentancur knew he did wrong, he immediately apologized. This is a big loss for the manager, and it is really bad timing for him. I just think it is terribly harsh, for something that the player has apologized for.”
Bentancur understood he committed a mistake and immediately apologized from his social media account as well as said personally sorry to Son. Following the seven-game ban, Ange Postecoglou has to now figure out a way to play without the Uruguayan in his team for a month.
The Nueva Helvecia-born star has been in good form of late for Tottenham. He scored his first goal of the season before the November international break, albeit in a shock 2-1 home defeat to newly promoted Ipswich Town.
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As things stand, Bentancur will miss Spurs’ crucial Premier League fixtures against the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool, as well as the juicy Carabao Cup quarter-final tie against Manchester United.
What is the outcome of our club’s appeal against the lengthy ban remains to be seen, but for now Big Ange must try finding a solution to replace Bentancur in his first XI starting with the trip to Manchester City on Saturday.
