Rodrigo Bentancur hit with seven-match ban for Son Heung-min comments

Tottenham's Rodrigo Bentancur has received a seven-match domestic suspension from the Football Association following a comment about team-mate Son Heung-min during an interview on Uruguayan TV. The incident occurred when Bentancur was asked by a Canal 10 host to show a Spurs player's shirt, to which he responded: "Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same."

Despite a prompt apology from Bentancur, the FA charged him on September 12 with misconduct related to the June interview, deeming it an "aggravated breach".

An independent regulatory commission panel confirmed the charge, ruling out Bentancur for Tottenham's next seven domestic games, although he remains eligible for Europa League matches against Roma and Rangers. The midfielder will miss key Premier League clashes with Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool, along with the Carabao Cup quarter-final versus Manchester United, not returning to domestic play until Boxing Day.

READ MORE: Filming for new movie brings A-list star and top comedian to Newcastle as big name cast confirmed

READ MORE: Liverpool issue Virgil van Dijk fitness statement ahead of Newcastle United trip

The FA has also fined Bentancur £100,000, as stated by an FA spokesperson: "An independent regulatory commission has imposed a seven-match suspension and £100,000 fine on Rodrigo Bentancur for a breach of FA Rule E3 in relation to a media interview.

"It was alleged that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder breached FA Rule E3.1 as he acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute. It was further alleged that this constitutes an "aggravated breach", which is defined in FA Rule E3.2, as it included a reference - whether express or implied - to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin.

"Rodrigo Bentancur denied this charge, but the independent Regulatory Commission found it to be proven and imposed his sanctions following a hearing."

Despite Bentancur's denial of the charge, the independent regulatory commission upheld the allegations and sanctioned him after a hearing. In their written reasons, they noted his comments were "clearly objectively insulting and abusive", countering Bentancur's defence that his words were meant as a "sarcastic and gentle rebuke" towards the interviewer.

Following the incident, Bentancur took to Instagram to apologise to South Korea captain Son Heung-min: "Sonny brother. I apologise to you for what happened, it was just a very bad joke. You know I love you and I would never disrespect you or hurt you or anyone else! I love you, brother! ".

Son accepted the apology with grace, responding on Instagram: "I’ve spoken with Lolo (Bentancur). He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologised. Lolo would not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive. We are brothers and nothing has changed at all. We’re past this, we’re united, and we will be back together in pre-season to fight for our club as one."

Tottenham defender Ben Davies has opened up about the recent controversy surrounding the squad, telling journalists on Monday that a difficult situation has been dealt with internally at the club and attention is now shifting forward.

Addressing the matter at a media event preceding Wales' Nations League encounter with Iceland, Davies, who's taken a role on the Professional Footballers’ Association’s new players’ board, highlighted: "It’s something at Spurs that it’s felt it’s been handled in-house – and now it’s been handled outside as well. Ultimately it’s important we realise these kind of things need to be looked at with a seriousness that it has been. As a group, as a team from Tottenham, we’ve kind of put a line under it and moved on."

This comes as Kick It Out, an anti-discrimination charity, has disclosed receiving numerous complaints following an incident involving Bentancur. The player faces repercussions in the form of a ban, a fine, and an educational requirement, for which he must complete a compulsory face-to-face education programme by March 11, 2025.