Rodrigo Bentancur Receives Seven-Match Ban and £100,000 Fine for Racist Remark

Rodrigo Bentancur has been handed a seven-match ban and fined £100,000 by the Football Association (FA) after making a racist comment about his Tottenham teammate, Son Heung-min.

The charge stemmed from an interview in June, during which Bentancur suggested that all people from South Korea “looked the same.” The FA issued the charge in September, and although Bentancur quickly apologized for what he called “a very bad joke,” Son, who is also the captain of the South Korean national team, accepted the apology.

Bentancur denied the charge, but an independent Regulatory Commission found the allegation proven. According to the FA’s statement, the midfielder breached FA Rule E3 by acting in an improper manner and using insulting words that brought the game into disrepute. The charge was deemed an “aggravated breach” due to its reference to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin.

Following a hearing, the independent commission imposed the seven-match suspension and the fine as sanctions.