Tottenham Hotspur have lodged an appeal against the duration of the suspension imposed on midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur for remarks made about teammate Son Heung-min. The Football Association revealed on Monday that Bentancur would face a seven-match domestic ban, encompassing six Premier League matches and a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Manchester United. The 27-year-old Uruguayan international was charged with misconduct in September following a television interview conducted in his home country in June, where a comment about Son’s race was deemed an aggravated breach.
Bentancur was asked to provide a shirt from a Spurs player. “Sonny’s?” he responded. “It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.” Tottenham issued a statement on Wednesday affirming their decision to appeal. “While we acknowledge the guilty verdict against Rodrigo by the independent regulatory commission, we consider the subsequent penalty to be excessive,” the statement declared. “Rodrigo will continue to be suspended from domestic competitions during the appeal process, and the club will refrain from further comment at this time.” The standard minimum ban for such breaches is six matches, suggesting Spurs may be aiming for a one-match reduction.
Bentancur publicly apologized to Son on Instagram for his comments, and the Spurs captain accepted the apology via a statement on the same platform. “I’ve spoken with Lolo [Bentancur]. He made a mistake, he acknowledges this, and has apologized,” Son stated. “Lolo would never intentionally say something offensive. We are brothers, and nothing has altered. We’ve moved past this, we are united, and we will return together in pre-season to fight for our club as one.” Bentancur, whose ban commences with Saturday’s fixture against Manchester City, was also fined £100,000.
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