Tottenham Hotspur are anticipating that Rodrigo Bentancur will receive a substantial ban of at least six matches from the FA for allegedly making a racist remark about his teammate Son Heung-min.
The 27-year-old midfielder was charged with an 'aggravated breach' of FA rules in September for offensive comments made during a television interview broadcast in Uruguay in June. In the interview, Bentancur was asked to provide a Tottenham shirt belonging to Son, to which he replied: 'Sonny’s or a cousin of Sonny’s? They all look the same, more or less.'
Bentancur promptly apologized to Son privately after the interview was aired, and also issued a public apology on social media, stating: 'Sonny brother! I am sorry for what happened, it was a joke in bad taste. You know that I love you and would never disrespect you, or hurt you or anyone. I love you brother!'
The FA charged Bentancur with using abusive language and acting in a manner which brought the game into disrepute, noting that it was an aggravated breach as it allegedly involved references to nationality, race or ethnic origin.
Tottenham questioned the FA’s jurisdiction to charge Bentancur since the comments were made while he was on international duty. However, following a private hearing by an independent commission, the club now expects a guilty verdict.
The FA increased the minimum sanction for the use of racist language to six matches in 2019, causing Tottenham concern that Bentancur could face a longer ban. Tottenham’s upcoming Premier League fixtures include matches against Manchester City, Fulham, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Southampton, and Liverpool, as well as a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United next month.
A lengthy ban would significantly impact manager Ange Postecoglou, as Bentancur has played in 10 of Tottenham’s 11 Premier League games this season. Despite the incident, Bentancur’s relationship with Son appears unaffected, with the Tottenham captain revealing in September that his teammate 'almost cried' when apologizing to him. 'I love Rodrigo,' Son said. 'I repeat, I love him, I love him.'
Tottenham declined to comment.
Source link: https://www.theguardian.com
