Tottenham Midfielder Bentancur Banned for 7 Games and Fined $126,000 for Offensive Comment on South Koreans

Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been banned for seven matches and fined £100,000 ($126,000) by the English Football Association (FA) for making an offensive comment about South Koreans in relation to his Tottenham teammate Son Heung-min.

The incident occurred in June during an appearance on a Uruguayan television show, when Bentancur was asked about obtaining a Tottenham player’s jersey. In response, he jokingly referred to Son Heung-min as “Sonny’s?” and then added that it could also be “Son’s cousin, because more or less, they are all the same.”

Bentancur later apologized to Son on Instagram, describing his comment as a “very bad joke” and stating that he would “never disrespect you or hurt you.” Despite the apology, he was charged by the FA in September for acting in an improper manner and using abusive and insulting words, which the FA classified as an aggravated breach due to the comment’s reference to nationality, race, and ethnic origin.

The FA’s statement underlined that such remarks bring the game into disrepute, resulting in both the ban and the fine.