Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been given a seven-match ban for an alleged racist remark made about South Korean teammate Son Heung-min in a TV interview.
The Uruguayan midfielder, 27, was charged by the Football Association on 12 September after an interview on the Uruguayan TV channel Canal 10, which emerged in June, that showed Bentancur being asked by the host to show the shirt of a Spurs player.
The former Juventus player replied: “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”
He swiftly apologised to Son on Instagram, saying it was a “very bad joke” and he would “never disrespect you or hurt you”.
But due to this being an “aggravated breach”, an independent regulatory commission panel were required to either uphold the FA charge or dismiss the case.
Bentancur will sit out Tottenham’s next seven domestic fixtures, but will be able to feature for the club in upcoming Europa League matches with Roma and Rangers. He was also fined £100,000.
An FA spokesperson said: “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.”
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
