Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been handed a seven-match domestic ban by the Football Association (FA) for making a racist comment about teammate Son Heung-min during a television interview. The ban also includes a £100,000 fine and mandatory educational program.

The FA charged Bentancur in September following comments made during a June television interview in Uruguay. While Bentancur denied the charge, an independent regulatory commission found the evidence sufficient to impose sanctions. The statement from the FA detailed the charges and the subsequent sanctions, emphasizing the severity of the offense.

The seven-match ban will keep Bentancur out of domestic action until December 26th. This includes several key Premier League fixtures against Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea, as well as Tottenham’s League Cup quarter-final against Manchester United. He will, however, remain eligible for Tottenham’s Europa League matches.

The context of Bentancur’s remarks

The FA’s charge specified an alleged breach of FA Rule E3 for misconduct in a media interview, citing the comment as an “aggravated breach” due to its racial implications. When asked for a Tottenham shirt, Bentancur reportedly said, “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same,” referring to Son Heung-min.

Bentancur’s defense, submitted by Tottenham, argued that his comment was sarcastic and intended as a rebuke of the journalist’s description of Son as “the Korean.”

They claimed the apology was for the misrepresentation of the interview, not for the comment itself. However, the independent regulatory commission rejected this defense, stating that the comment was “clearly abusive and insulting,” and that the apology showed an acceptance of causing offense.

The panel’s reasoning and the sanction

The panel considered Bentancur’s lack of prior offenses and his genuine remorse when determining the sanction. While acknowledging the mitigating circumstances, they concluded that the severity of the offense warranted a ban towards the lower end, but not the lowest point, of the guideline range for this type of misconduct.

The seven-match ban reflects the seriousness of the incident, highlighting the FA’s commitment to addressing racism within the sport. The mandatory educational program is designed to further emphasize the importance of respectful language.

The Bentancur case differs from that of Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, whose alleged racist chant was made during international duty and is currently under investigation by FIFA. Bentancur’s comments, having been made in his personal time while in England, fell under the jurisdiction of the FA.