Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been handed a seven-match ban for making a racist remark about his teammate, Son Heung-min, in a TV interview.
The incident occurred on Uruguayan TV channel Canal 10 in June, where Bentancur was asked to show the shirt of a Spurs player.
He responded by saying that Son and his cousins “all look the same”.
Bentancur swiftly apologized for his racist remark, but since it was considered an “aggravated breach,” the case had to be reviewed by an independent regulatory commission panel.
This panel was tasked with either upholding the FA charge or dismissing the case altogether.
As defined by the FA’s rules, an “aggravated breach” includes any reference to ethnic origin, color, race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
Bentancur’s comment, which implied that South Koreans “all look the same,” clearly fell under this category, prompting the FA to take action.
Bentancur, 27, was charged by the Football Association on September 12 for breaching FA Rule E3, which states that players must not act in an improper manner or use abusive and/or insulting words.
The Uruguayan midfielder denied the charge, but an independent Regulatory Commission found him guilty and imposed the ban, along with a £100,000 fine.
As a result, Bentancur will miss Tottenham’s next seven domestic fixtures, including matches against Manchester City, Fulham, and Chelsea. However, he will still be eligible to play in the Europa League matches against Roma and Rangers.