Rodrigo Bentancur, who made racist remarks toward Son Heung-min in June, could be suspended for seven games.
“Last Word On Spurs,” which delivers the news of Tottenham Hotspur, reported on the 13th (Korea time), “Tottenham midfielder Bentancur faces a suspension of seven games in the domestic tournament.”
“In an interview with a Uruguayan TV channel in June, Bentancourt joked, “Asians all look the same,” referring to Son Heung-min. It’s terrible.”
Bentancourt answered the host’s question while holding her daughter in one hand. The host asked, ‘I already have your shirt. Can you give me Son Heung-min’s uniform?’ In response, Bentancourt asked back, ‘Sonny?’ When the host said, ‘Yes, or world champion…’ again, Bentancourt laughed and said, ‘Or maybe you’re his cousin, they look pretty much the same.’ In response, the host replied, ‘That’s right.’
The video spread rapidly on social media, and controversy over racism arose. International fans also watched the video and said, “I’m so disappointed. Imagine Son Heung-min listening to this,” “I want him to apologize,” and “His remarks are very disappointing. He is completely unaware of the endless fight against prejudice suffered by the captain of the club he plays for.”
When public sentiment was not good, Bentancourt himself apologized. He wrote on his SNS, “Sonny Brother, I apologize for what happened, this was just a very bad joke! You know what I love about you, right? I didn’t mean to ignore you or hurt you or anyone else. I love you.”
However, fans’ anger did not fade away. Some fans left comments on Tottenham’s SNS, urging them to apologize and make an official statement. “Although Tottenham’s captaincy was criticized by his team members, Tottenham has no official stance, no disciplinary action, or respect for Son Heung-min. There is no need to stay any longer. Make an official statement on racism,” one fan said.
Another fan said, “The victim (Son Heung-min) is being subjected to secondary abuse because of the club’s attitude. The situation is getting bigger. The exact attitude of the club will prevent this recurrence. We are consumers of the Premier League. There is no reason to be treated like this by Asians.”
Alessdare Gold, a reporter from Football London who is fluent in Tottenham’s news, also spoke out about Bentancourt’s remarks. Gold said, “The Bentancourt comment is very stupid.”
“Of course, I don’t think there was any malicious or derogatory intention to the remarks, but if you look at them alone, they are in the form of racist remarks. I’m not saying Bentancur is racist, but it’s a racist remark in terms of the remarks he made,” he added.
“Some people say it was just a joke, and of course it was meant to be, but it was a terrible and terrible joke,” he said. “I say, ‘This is just the cultural way Uruguayans talk, and this is a really terrible way of thinking.”
There are also people who say, “Just because I mention this incident is drawing unnecessary attention. I’m sorry, but it’s silly. If this was a different race or nationality, I think a lot more people would jump in and the debate would have burned down,” he said strongly.
As the situation grew, Son Heung-min finally came forward. Son Heung-min said on his SNS account, “I contacted Bentancourt. He made a mistake. Upon learning this, he apologized. Bentancourt had no intention of saying anything to offend. We are brothers and nothing has changed. We overcame this and became one. I will fight for the club as one again in the pre-season.” 바카라사이트
Son Heung-min embraced it, but the possibility of disciplinary action was raised. The Times reported that Bentancourt could be disciplined for saying Koreans look ‘all the same.’ In an interview with Uruguayan media, Bentancourt mentioned her teammate Son Heung-min ‘looks exactly like’ his own people. As a result, she could face disciplinary action, and the English Football Association is considering disciplinary action.
When the possibility of disciplinary action was raised, Bentancourt posted a second apology. On the 22nd, he posted an apology on his SNS for racist remarks towards Son Heung-min. He said, “I want to communicate with all the fans and those who follow me. After the interview about Son Heung-min, I talked to him, and with our deep friendship, he understood that it was a misunderstanding. Everything worked out well with my friend.”
Bentancourt went on to say, “If anyone was offended by my comments posted in the media, I would like to offer a sincere apology. But what I want you to know, I wasn’t referring to anyone else. It was only for Son, and I didn’t mean to offend anyone directly or indirectly. Sending a big hug and respect to everyone.”
Three months later, the FA formally opened an investigation into Bentancourt’s racist comments. “She apologized for her comments, but the FA charged her with violating rules. She must respond to the charges by the 19th,” the BBC reported.
The possibility of a seven-game suspension has been raised. If Bentancourt gets a seven-game suspension, she is unlikely to be able to play in matches against Fulham, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Southampton, Manchester United (League Cup) and Liverpool starting from the away match against Manchester City on the 24th. The return could be against Nottingham Forest on the 27th of next month.
