Rodrigo Bentancur Faces FA Charge for Racial Slur

Rodrigo Bentancur, Tottenham midfielder, faces a charge from the Football Association (FA) for using a racial slur in a media interview about his teammate Son Heung-min. During an appearance on Uruguayan TV in June, Bentancur made a remark about Son, saying, “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.” Critics widely condemned this comment as a racial slur.

In response, Bentancur apologized on Instagram, describing his remarks as a “very bad joke.” Consequently, the FA has charged the 27-year-old Uruguayan with an alleged breach of FA rule E3 which deals with misconduct related to media conduct. The FA accuses Bentancur of improper behavior and using abusive or insulting language that may have discredited the sport.

Additionally, the FA labeled the breach as “aggravated” due to its reference to nationality and/or race. According to FA regulations, Bentancur could face a match-based sanction of 6-12 games for such discriminatory acts. He must respond to the charge by Thursday, September 19. The anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out has received numerous complaints about Bentancur’s comment.

This has underscored the broader issue of discrimination affecting East Asian and other communities. However, Son Heung-min, who received an apology from Rodrigo Bentancur, said they have resolved the issue. Son stated in June, “Lolo [Bentancur] made a mistake, and he knows it. We are brothers and nothing has changed. We’re united and focused on our club.”

Both players have returned to Tottenham for the Premier League season and they have moved past the incident as they prepare to compete together.