Tottenham have appealed the length of Rodrigo Bentancur’s ban after the midfielder was charged by the Football Association over his racist comments against Spurs captain Heung-min Son.
Bentancur was handed a seven-match ban and fined £100,000 after being found guilty of an aggravated breach of the FA’s misconduct rules for making “abusive and/or insulting” comments relating to “the nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin”.
During an interview with Uruguayan television journalist Rafa Coteo in June, Bentancur was asked for the “Korean shirt” during a four-hour filming session at his home.
The Spurs midfielder replied: “Sonny? Or one of Sonny’s cousins because they all look more or less the same.
Bentancur’s case was heard by a three-person independent panel on November 5 and he was hit with a seven-match ban and a £100,000 fine.
He is expected to miss Tottenham’s Premier League matches against Manchester City, Fulham, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Southampton and Liverpool, as well as Manchester United’s visit in the Carabao Cup, and must complete a face-to-face training program from here on March 11.
The FA recommends a sanction of six to 12 matches for players found guilty of an aggravated breach of misconduct rules.
Tottenham are not appealing Bentancur’s guilty verdict – but are aiming to reduce the length of his ban.
A club statement read: “We can confirm that the club has appealed the length of Rodrigo Bentancur’s suspension by the FA, handed down earlier this week.
“While we accept the guilty verdict handed down against Rodrigo by the independent regulatory commission, we believe the resulting sanction is severe.
“Rodrigo will remain suspended from domestic competitions until the appeal is heard and the Club will make no further comment during this period. “
The context of the exchange makes it clear that Rodrigo is being sarcastic. It was Mr. Cotelo who described Sonny as “the Korean.”
Written defense of Tottenham in favor of Rodrigo Bentancur
Given that the minimum penalty for such a charge is a six-game suspension, it is unlikely that Bentancur’s suspension will be reduced below that limit.
If reduced from seven to six matches, the midfielder could face Liverpool on December 22.
In a written submission in defense on behalf of the player, Tottenham said: “Rodrigo’s response was sarcastic and a gentle rebuke to the journalist calling Sonny ‘the Korean’. Rodrigo doesn’t believe that all Koreans “are more or less the same.”
“The context of the exchange clearly shows that Rodrigo is being sarcastic. It was Mr. Cotelo who described Sonny as “the Korean.” In the context of the conversation, it was evident that Mr. Cotelo was referring to Sonny as “The Korean”, and Rodrigo was challenging the journalist in his description of his Club teammate.
The club also described his comment as a “joking generalization… which does not cross the line into misconduct.”
Bentancur apologized to Son via social media the day after the video was posted, before posting “a longer apology” online the following week.
The panel was unimpressed with Bentancur’s claims about the true meaning of his apology, saying his explanation “goes against the evidence” and also dismissed his right to privacy.
“If the player had specifically wanted to exclude from publication something he had said in the interview, he could have told Mr Cotelo: there is no evidence that he sought to do so,” can we read in the final report of the commission.