Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been charged with misconduct by the English Football Association (FA) after making a derogatory remark about South Koreans. The comment, made during a June television appearance, referred to Tottenham Hotspur teammate Son Heung-min and was deemed to have breached FA regulations due to its racial undertones.
Uruguayan Footballer Rodrigo
Rodrigo Bentancur Colman (born 25 June 1997) is a Uruguayan footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and for the Uruguay national team.
Bentancur began his football journey with the youth academy of Boca Juniors in Argentina in 2009.
He was promoted to the first team in 2015, where he helped the club win two Primera División titles and a Copa Argentina.
In 2017, he moved to Juventus in Italy, where he played for five years, winning three Serie A titles and other domestic trophies.
In January 2022, he transferred to Tottenham Hotspur.
Internationally, Bentancur played for Uruguay’s U20 team and won the 2017 South American U-20 Championship.
He made his senior debut for Uruguay the same year and has represented his country at the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, as well as the Copa América tournaments in 2019, 2021, and 2024.
The Comment and Its Impact
In June 2024, Rodrigo Bentancur appeared on a Uruguayan television show where he was asked about a Tottenham Hotspur player’s jersey.
Bentancur’s response, suggesting that Son Heung-min’s jersey could belong to Son’s “cousin” because “more or less they are all the same,” was widely criticised.
The comment was perceived as racially insensitive and offensive to South Koreans.
The FA’s investigation highlighted that Bentancur’s words were not only improper but also had the potential to bring the game into disrepute, exacerbated by their racial context.
FA Charges and Response
The FA’s charge against Bentancur includes accusations of using abusive and insulting language, with the added severity of an aggravated breach due to the racial implications.
Bentancur has until September 19 to respond to the charge. In a response to the backlash, Bentancur publicly apologised to Son Heung-min on Instagram, calling his comment a “very bad joke” and affirming that he would “never disrespect you or hurt you.”
Despite the charge, Bentancur remains available for selection in upcoming matches.
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