Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been fined £100,000 and handed a seven match-ban after the player’s racial slur comments towards his Tottenham Hotspur teammate Heung-Min Son from a few months ago surfaced.
Bentancur was on a TV show where he was asked to show the shirt of a Spurs’ teammate, to which he replied: “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”
The FA took it up and termed it and aggravated breach, setting up a panel to deliberate on the punishment that was fit for the former Juventus man’s comments. The charge was eventually upheld and the punishment was doled out.
An FA spokesperson said: “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.”
The ban, however, affects only domestic games which means that Ange Postecoglou can count on the player in the UEFA Europa League, where they have AS Roma and Glasgow Rangers as upcoming opponents. The domestic games he will miss includes Manchester City and Manchester United, Chelsea, Fulham, Bournemouth, Southampton and Liverpool.
A spokesperson for Kick It Out, an organisation whose mission is fighting racism and other forms of discrimination in football, commented on the decision to ban and fine Bentancur.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, they said: “We welcome today’s decision to hold Rodrigo Bentancur accountable for using a racial slur.
“A significant number of reports were made to Kick It Out regarding the incident at the time, highlighting how abuse directed at players from East and Southeast Asian backgrounds not only impacts the individuals involved but also affects fans in the wider community.”
Son, meanwhile, has moved past the incident, stating that he and Bentancur have remained ‘brothers’ as the Uruguayan immediately apologised to him on finding out the offence in his comments.
