New Delhi: Tottenham Hotspur’s midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur will miss the final two matches of his seven-match suspension following the dismissal of his appeal by the Football Association (FA). The ban was imposed in November after the Uruguayan international was found guilty of using a racial slur about his teammate Son Heung-min during a television interview. Despite accepting the initial judgment Spurs appealed to reduce the length of the suspension but the FA rejected their request leaving Bentancur to stay sidelined from important domestic fixtures.
The suspension has already kept Bentancur out of five matches with the final two games of his ban including crucial matchups against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup and Liverpool in the Premier League. However, he has been allowed to continue participating in Europa League fixtures as the sanction only applies to domestic competitions.
[🥇] 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆: Tottenham’s appeal against the length of Rodrigo Bentancur’s ban was unsuccessful and it will remain at 7 games. @Matt_Law_DT ❌🇺🇾 pic.twitter.com/LCtt2wzJl0
— Spurs Global (@spurssglobal) December 17, 2024
FA dismisses Spur’s appeal
The appeal which was heard by an independent Appeal Board sought to reduce the severity of the suspension. While Spurs accepted the breach of FA rules, they contested the length of the ban arguing that the punishment was excessively harsh given that FA regulations stipulate a minimum suspension of six matches for such offences. Nevertheless, the FA ruled that Bentancur’s seven-match suspension would remain in place and the Appeal Board’s reasons for the decision will be released at a later date.
The incident in question occurred during an appearance by Bentancur on the Uruguayan show Por La Camiseta in June. When host Rafa Cotelo asked if Bentancur could give him a Spurs shirt the midfielder responded by suggesting “Sonny’s?” adding, “It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”
Bentancur later apologised for the remarks and Son publicly accepted the apology, stating that their relationship remained unchanged describing them as “brothers”. However, the FA upheld the charge leading to the suspension and a £100,000 fine as well as a mandatory education programme for Bentancur.
⚪️🇰🇷 Son: “I’ve spoken with Rodrigo Bentancur. He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologised”.
“Lolo 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… pic.twitter.com/cmdk68DT9S
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 20, 2024
Impact on Spurs and Bentancur’s return
As a result of the appeal’s failure, Bentancur will miss two key fixtures for Tottenham further complicating their domestic campaign. The midfielder has been a crucial part of the team since joining from Juventus and his absence will be felt in matches against two of the Premier League’s top teams. He has made a total of 17 appearances for the club.
Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou will have to navigate these challenges without the 27-year-old as he is scheduled to return for the Boxing Day fixture against Nottingham Forest. But he will continue to play in the Europa League as the ban does not apply to UEFA competitions.
Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur receives a suspension on November 18 after Spurs fail to appeal a ban related to comments about teammate Son Heung-min. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
