Tottenham’s appeal against seven-match ban for Rodrigo Bentancur unsuccessful
Last month, Bentancur received a seven-game domestic ban and a £100,000 fine from the Football Association after making controversial remarks about his captain, Son Heung-min
Tottenham Hotspur have been unsuccessful in their appeal against the seven-match ban handed to midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur.
Last month, Bentancur received a seven-game domestic ban and a £100,000 fine from the Football Association after making controversial remarks about his captain, Son Heung-min.
The Argentina international was filmed in a social media clip making an inappropriate comment, stating that South Korean people “all look the same” during an interview conducted in Spanish.
Bentancur denied the charge but was suspended from domestic matches until December 26.
Tottenham appealed, arguing that the punishment was too “severe” and should be reduced to the minimum of six games.
However, their appeal has now been dismissed.
The FA said in a statement: “An independent Appeal Board has dismissed an appeal by Rodrigo Bentancur in relation to his recent suspension.
“An independent Regulatory Commission imposed a seven-match suspension on the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder for an aggravated breach of FA Rule E3 in relation to a media interview.
“This appeal was dismissed following a hearing, and the seven-match suspension remains as ordered by the Regulatory Commission.”
In a widely shared clip on social media, Rodrigo Bentancur was asked by a presenter to hand over a Tottenham shirt. In response, he jokingly said, “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too, as they all look the same.”
Bentancur later took to social media to apologize, calling his comments a “very bad joke.”
He received support from his teammate Son Heung-min, who accepted the apology and posted a message on social media.
Son said: “He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologised.
“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.”
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