Tottenham have decided to appeal against the length of Rodrigo Bentancur’s seven-match suspension handed out by the Football Association this week for a racist remark made about team-mate Heung-Min Son.
The midfielder made comments about Asian people in an interview aired on Uruguayan TV in June, in which he stated via Sky Sports: “It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”
This resulted in Bentancur receiving a seven-match suspension from the FA, which prevents the Uruguayan from playing in domestic competitions. The 27-year-old was also fined £100,000 as part of the punishment.
According to Sky Sports, Tottenham are not happy with this outcome and have appealed the length of the player’s suspension.
The North London club said in a statement that they “accept the guilty finding” against Bentancur, but “believe the subsequent sanction is severe”.
The appeal process may take some time and while it is ongoing, the Tottenham star’s domestic suspension will remain in place – the Uruguay international will still be able to compete in the Europa League.
FA need to stand firm on Rodrigo Bentancur suspension
Bentancur has been a key player for Tottenham this season having featured in 15 out of their 17 matches throughout the opening phase of the 2024/25 campaign and it is not a surprise that Spurs have appealed his ban.
There should be a zero-tolerance approach taken to any racist language in the sport and the FA should stand firm on their decision to hand the midfielder a seven-match ban.
The Uruguayan star has already apologised to Son and the duo have made up, however, his words should not be tolerated and his suspension will make other footballers think more carefully about what they say to the media.
Son is set to stay at Tottenham beyond this season as the Premier League outfit are expected to trigger the clause in his current deal that extends his contract until 2026.