Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been charged by the Football Association (FA) for using a racial slur about his teammate Son Heung-min during a television appearance in Uruguay in June. The incident occurred when Bentancur, 27, was asked by a TV presenter for a Tottenham shirt, to which he replied: “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”
Bentancur later apologized for his remarks on Instagram, acknowledging that his comments were a “very bad joke.” However, the FA charged him with a breach of FA rule E3, citing misconduct related to improper, abusive, or insulting language that brought the sport into disrepute. The FA stated that Bentancur’s comments constituted an “aggravated breach” as they included references to nationality, race, or ethnic origin.
FA guidelines suggest that violations involving discriminatory behavior can result in match bans ranging from 6 to 12 games. Bentancur has until September 19 to respond to the charge.
The incident drew widespread criticism, with anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out receiving a “significant number” of complaints, highlighting broader issues affecting East Asian and other communities.
Son Heung-min addressed the situation in June, stating that Bentancur had apologized to him directly and that the two remain close. “I’ve spoken to Lolo,” Son said. “He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologized. 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 in pre-season to fight for our club as one.”
Bentancur and Son have since reunited at Tottenham as they prepare for the ongoing Premier League season.
