Why was Tottenham Hotspur's Rodrigo Bentancur banned?
According to relevant sources, Rodrigo Bentancourt has been banned from participating in seven domestic matches for making racially discriminatory remarks to Tottenham Hotspur teammate Son Heung min.
This 27 year old Uruguayan midfielder was charged by the English Football Association in September this year for "serious misconduct" and may face a ban of 6 to 12 matches. At present, he has received a specific penalty notice, which means he will be absent from the competition until mid December.
As early as June this year, Bentankur said in an interview with a Uruguayan television station that all Koreans "look similar".
When a reporter asked him if he could help get the shirt from the Korean, he replied: "Young man?"
The reporter continued, "Or any other championship jersey would do." Bentankul replied, "Or any relatives of Son Heung min, they all look similar." Afterwards, he apologized to his Tottenham teammate and South Korean national team captain Son Heung min and posted a statement on social media: "Son Heung min, brother, I apologize to you for what I said, it was just a bad joke
You know I love you, I will never disrespect you or hurt you, or anyone else! I love you, brother
Sun Xingqian quickly accepted his apology and revealed, 'When we were all on vacation, he quickly apologized to me.'.
I was at home at the time and had no idea what was happening outside. He suddenly sent me a long message, and I could feel his sincerity
When we returned to the training ground to prepare for the preseason, he appeared extremely regretful and almost shed tears.
He not only publicly apologized, but also expressed deep apologies to me privately. I can truly feel his remorse. After all, we are all mortal and inevitably make mistakes, but what is important is that we can learn from them. I deeply love Rodrigo, and this love will not change. He realized his mistake, and I am not concerned about it. We will move forward hand in hand as teammates, friends, and brothers
However, Bentankur was charged by the Football Association for his remarks, which stated that his remarks "directly or indirectly involved sensitive topics of nationality, race, or ethnic origin".
In response to the allegations against Bentancourt, the English Football Association explicitly stated in a statement: 'Rodrigo Bentancourt is suspected of violating FA Rule E3 due to his inappropriate behavior in media interviews.'.
According to the allegations, this Tottenham Hotspur midfielder may have violated Rule E3.1 by engaging in inappropriate behavior, using abusive or insulting language, and potentially damaging the reputation of the game.
In addition, this behavior is also considered a violation of the 'serious violation' defined in Rule E3.2, as it involves sensitive references to nationality, race, or ethnic origin
SunSport has consulted with the English Football Association regarding this matter.
This suspension will cause Bentancourt to miss several important Premier League matches, including matches against Manchester City, Fulham, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Southampton, and Liverpool, as well as the quarter finals match against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup.
