Tottenham to appeal Rodrigo Bentancur ban for Son Heung-min racist remark

11/20/2024 05:42 AM

Tottenham are planning to appeal Rodrigo Bentancur’s seven-match ban for his racist remark about Spurs captain Son Heung-min.

The Football Association handed Bentancur the suspension, plus a £100,000 fine, earlier this week after he suggested that all people from South Korea 'looked the same' during an interview in June.

Bentancur denied the charge but a statement from the FA on Monday 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.’

What did Rodrigo Bentancur say to Son Heung-min?

In an interview on Uruguayan Television programme Por La Camiseta, Bentancur was asked by reporter, Rafa Cotelo, to see one of the football shirts in the midfielder’s collection when the following exchange occurred:

Cotelo: ‘Your shirt… well, what about the Korean's shirt?’

Bentancur: ‘Sonny?’

Cotelo: ‘Or a champion.’

Bentancur: ‘Or one of Sonny's cousins as they all look more or less the
same.’

Tottenham are not appealing Bentancur’s guilty verdict but the club want the midfielder’s seven-game ban to be reduced.

In 2019, the FA increased the minimum ban for anyone found guilty of racist abuse to six matches.

Bentancur was given an additional match to the minimum six-game suspension as his comments were considered as an ‘aggravated breach’.

A statement from Tottenham read: ‘We can confirm that the Club has appealed against the length of Rodrigo Bentancur's FA suspension, issued earlier this week.

‘While we accept the guilty finding against Rodrigo by the independent regulatory commission, we believe the subsequent sanction is severe.

‘Rodrigo will remain suspended from domestic competitions while the appeal is heard and the club will make no further comment during this time.’

Bentancur apologised for his comments as he wrote on social media: 'Sonny brother! I apologise to you for what happened, it was just a very bad joke.

'You know I love you and I would never disrespect you or hurt you or anyone else! I love you, brother!'

In his response to Bentancur’s apology, Son wrote: 'He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologised.

'Lolo would not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive. We are brothers and nothing has changed at all.’

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