December 17, 2024, 12:59 PM
December 17, 2024, 12:59 PM
The Uruguayan Rodrigo Bentancur, of Tottenham Hotspur, lost his appeal in the case of the racist comment about Heung-min Son and will have to serve a seven-game ban, the English Football Federation confirmed this Tuesday.
The midfielder was suspended a month ago, but appealed the decision to try to reduce it to six games and be on December 22 against Liverpool. Once the rejection of the appeal is confirmed, Bentancur will return to the field on December 26 against Nottingham Forest.
In an interview this summer, the journalist asked Bentancur to hand him a shirt of his Korean teammate, to which the footballer responded: “Sonny?”
The interviewer replied “Or any other champion?” and the Uruguayan responded “Or any of Sonny’s cousins, they all look very similar.”
This is a breach of FA regulations by including a reference to another person’s nationality, race or ethnicity. Bentancur apologized at the time for the controversy generated by the situation and which was criticized by anti-racism organizations in England such as “Kick it Out.”
In addition to the seven-game suspension, Bentancur will have to pay a fine of 100,000 pounds (120,000 euros).
