It’s a big blow for English Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur, and their star midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur. Multiple reports from leading media outlets have confirmed that the player is set to be banned for a long span (seven) matches in English football, owing to the racist remarks he made in June this year.
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Reason for Rodrigo Bentancur Ban?
Bentancur had been caught making a racist comment about South Koreans, saying that they “all look the same”. He was filmed while saying this comment in a Spanish interview, which was held on the Uruguayan television program ‘Por La Camiseta.’ The comments were made in June 2024.
Actually what happened was, the host of the show asked Rodrigo that if the player could get him a Spurs player’s shirt, to him the player replied “Sonny’s?”, before adding “It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”
This remark was not taken well by FA (English football’s governing body), who have voiced boldly against racism for the past several years. The FA confirmed that he was charged with an ‘aggravated breach’ of their rules.
Rodrigo Bentancur and Son Heung-min’s reply to racist comments
After such charges earlier this year, Rodrigo Bentancur apologized publicly for his comment, through his Instagram account he admitted making a “very bad joke”.
His South Korean teammate and the club legend Son Heung-min accepted the apology and stood by his side. Son wrote on social media saying “He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologized. Lolo [Bentancur] 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.”
Impact of Rodrigo Bentancur Ban on Tottenham Hotspur
Since Bentancur is reported to serve a seven-match suspension, the club will not be able to avail his services against top clubs like Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, along with Fulham, Bournemouth, and Southampton.
The Uruguayan has appeared 10 times in the Premier League, three times in UEFA Europa League and two times in Carabao Cup aka EFL Cup matches so far. Though not a regular, he has been a pivot of the midfield. The club will surely miss him in this packed schedule, with four of the big six to face. His absence can also cause back-line trouble.
It should also be noted that he just came from a ban of four matches from the Uruguayan national team, for his fight in the Copa America clash against Colombia.
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