Rodrigo Bentancur Charged by FA Over ‘Insulting Word’ Towards Teammate Heung-Min Son

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur finds himself in hot water after he made racially active remarks towards Heung-Min Son before the start of the 2024 Copa America. As a result of his insensitive comments, the English FA have charged the Uruguayan.

During a televised interview ahead of the Copa America, Bentancur tried to make a joke when a reporter asked for a jersey from one of his Spurs teammates. The reporter asked, “Can you get me the shirt from the Korean?" to which Bentancur asked, “Sonny?” and the journalist said, "Or any other champion?” Bentancur replied, "Or any cousin of Sonny, they all look more or less the same!" to which the reporter replied "Yes, of course."  

This interaction sent shockwaves throughout English football, with many people appalled by Bentancur’s insensitive remarks. The Uruguayans comments were taken as a racial slur, which caused outrage throughout the Korean community. Kick It Out, an organization trying to end racism and discrimination in sports, stated that it had “received a significant number of reports about Rodrigo Bentancur's comments regarding his Tottenham team-mate Son Heung-min.”  

Following the furor, Bentancur released two apologies via his official Instagram account. The second apology read, “I would like to communicate to all fans and everyone who follows us that after my interview where I referred to Son and no one else, I have spoken to him and, logically given our deep friendship, he understands it was only an unfortunate misunderstanding. All has been clarified and solved with my friend. If someone felt offended because of my words through this media tool I would like to offer my sincere apologies. But I also would like you to know that never, never I referred to anyone else. Only to Son and for that reason I’ve never had the intention to offend directly or indirectly anyone. A big hug and all my respect to everyone." 

Son released a statement of his own, which stated that he had sorted things out with Bentancur and both “brothers” have put this incident behind them. Son’s statement read, “We've spoken with Lolo. 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 in pre-season to fight for our club as one. Sonny." 

Several months after the incident, the English FA has charged Bentancur “with an alleged breach of FA Rule E3 for misconduct in relation to a media interview.” The midfielder has breached FA Rule E3.1, as he “acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute.” For now, Bentancur can still lace up his boots, but his immediate future is shrouded in uncertainty as the FA has yet to decide on match-based sanctions. Typically, first-time offenders of FA Rule E3 face recommended suspensions ranging from six to twelve games for ‘aggravated breaches.’ So, Bentancur could be staring down a significant spell on the sidelines if the FA decides to throw the book at him. 

The FA has given Rodrigo Bentancur time till 19th September to respond to the charges levied against him. Even though Bentancur and Son have put the issue behind them, the FA's hammer could still come down hard. Bentancur’s slip of the tongue might end up costing him, and Spurs, a lot more than just public goodwill—it could mean a lengthy spell on the sidelines for one of Tottenham's key players. 

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