Tottenham’s Rodrigo Bentancur banned for 7 matches over racist remark

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been handed a seven-match suspension after making a racist remark about his teammate, Son Heung-min, during a television interview in June.

The incident occurred on Uruguayan TV channel Canal 10 when Bentancur was asked to display the shirt of a Spurs player. He responded by saying that Son and his cousins “all look the same,” a comment that was widely criticized as racist.

Bentancur issued a public apology shortly after the interview, acknowledging the harm caused by his words. However, the Football Association (FA) deemed the comment an “aggravated breach” of its conduct rules.

The case was reviewed by an independent regulatory commission panel, which upheld the FA charge. As a result, Bentancur received the seven-match ban, underscoring the seriousness with which football authorities address issues of racism.

As defined by the FA’s rules, an “aggravated breach” includes any reference to ethnic origin, color, race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

Bentancur’s comment, which implied that South Koreans “all look the same,” clearly fell under this category, prompting the FA to take action.

Bentancur, 27, was charged by the Football Association on September 12 for breaching FA Rule E3, which states that players must not act in an improper manner or use abusive and/or insulting words.

The Uruguayan midfielder denied the charge, but an independent Regulatory Commission found him guilty and imposed the ban, along with a £100,000 fine.

As a result, Bentancur will miss Tottenham’s next seven domestic fixtures, including matches against Manchester City, Fulham, and Chelsea. However, he will still be eligible to play in the Europa League matches against Roma and Rangers.