Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has received a harsh seven-match ban and a financial fine of 100,000 pounds (120,000 euros) for a racist comment about his teammate Son Heung-Min. The English Football Association has applied the rules in relation to references to the nationality, race or ethnicity of another person. The penalty must be served in full with Tottenham in the Premier League.
In an interview on Uruguayan television a few months ago, the journalist asked Bentancur to get him a Korean shirt, to which the soccer player responded: “Sonny?” Immediately afterwards, the interviewer asked “Or any other champion?”, to which the Uruguayan international replied: “Or any of Sonny’s cousins, they all look very similar.”
Bentancur apologized at the time to Son and to the fans after the great commotion that arose in England. “I have spoken with him and, logically, given our friendship, he understands that it was an unfortunate misunderstanding. Everything has been clarified and resolved with my friend. If anyone was offended by my words, I would like to give my most sincere apologies, but I would also like to say that I have never referred to anyone else, only Son and for that reason I have never intended to offend anyone, directly or indirectly,” the Uruguayan explained on his social networks.
For his part, his partner Son understood the mistake and accepted the apology. “Rodrigo (Bentancur) made a mistake and apologized for it. I didn’t mean to say anything intentionally offensive. We are brothers and nothing has changed,” clarified the South Korean.
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