Rodrigo Bentancur: Tottenham midfielder banned for seven matches over racial slur about Son Heung-min
In charging the Uruguay international, the FA said it was “allegedly in breach of FA Rule E3 due to inappropriate conduct in interviews with the media”.
The FA said this constituted a “serious breach… as it included an explicit or implicit reference to nationality and/or race and/or national origin”.
In an interview with the media, the host asked about the Tottenham Hotspur jersey, and Bentancur replied: “Sonny’s? Maybe it’s Sonny’s cousin, because they all look the same.”
He later apologized on social media and said his comments were a “really bad joke.”
Bentancur also apologized to Son and said he “wouldn’t intentionally say something offensive.”
The incident involving Bentancur happened in his own time and therefore, as he plays in England, falls within the FA’s jurisdiction – unlike the situation involving Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
Fernandez, who was on international duty at the time, posted a video of Argentina celebrating their Copa America win that the French Football Federation (FFF) said contained what it called “racist and discriminatory” chants. Under investigation by world governing body FIFA.
