Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur suspended for seven games over alleged racist remark about teammate Son Heung-min

Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has received a seven-match suspension for reportedly making a racist comment regarding his South Korean teammate Son Heung-min during a television interview.

Bentancur, 27, was accused by the Football Association on September 12 following an interview he had in June with the Uruguayan channel Canal 10. During the interview, the host requested that the midfielder display the jersey of a Spurs player.

The ex-Juventus player said, "Is it Sonny's? It could also be his cousin since they all have a similar look."

He quickly expressed his regret to Son on Instagram, describing it as a "terrible joke" and assuring him that he would "never disrespect or hurt" him.

Son, the captain of Tottenham, accepted his apology, noting that his fellow player had erred and "would never intentionally say anything hurtful."

“We’re like brothers and nothing has shifted between us,” Son stated in June. “We’ve moved on from this, we’re united, and we’ll come together again during pre-season to compete for our club as a single force.”

However, because this is considered a "serious violation," a panel from an independent regulatory commission needed to either confirm the FA's charges or throw out the case.

Bentancur has been penalized £100,000 and will miss Tottenham's next seven domestic games. However, he will still be eligible to play for the team in the upcoming Europa League matches against Roma and Rangers.

He won't be able to play in the Premier League match against Manchester City away this Saturday, and he will also be absent for the home games against Liverpool and Chelsea in December. Additionally, Bentancur will not participate in the League Cup quarter-final against Manchester United.

Bentancur instructed to participate in an in-person educational program.

In addition to the penalty and a seven-game suspension, the FA has required Bentancur to participate in an in-person educational program. More information about this program will be shared in due course. He must finish the course by March 11 next year.

"The FA stated that if a player does not successfully finish the program within the given timeframe, he will be promptly banned from participating in all domestic club matches until he completes the required program."

For further details, check out Sky News: Who might take over as the host of Match Of The Day? The FA is looking into complaints regarding the Greek police. The UK is warned to anticipate significant snowfall. Schools are closed in the city with the highest pollution levels in the world.

Tottenham midfielder 'dishonored the sport'

In its announcement, the FA stated: "It has been claimed that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder violated FA Rule E3.1 by behaving inappropriately and/or using offensive and/or disrespectful language and/or damaging the reputation of the game."

It was also claimed that this represents a serious violation, as outlined in FA Rule E3.2, since it involved a mention—either directly or indirectly—of nationality, race, or ethnic background.

Rodrigo Bentancur contested the accusation, but the independent regulatory body determined that the claim was valid and decided to impose penalties on him after a hearing.

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Tottenham and Bentancur have not yet commented on the ruling.