Tottenham’s Rodrigo Bentancur Facing FA Charges Over Son Heung-min Comments
Rodrigo Bentancur, Tottenham Hotspur’s talented midfielder, is in hot water with the English Football Association (FA) over comments he made about teammate Son Heung-min in a recent media interview. The 27-year-old Argentine international was charged on Thursday with a breach of FA Rule E3, which relates to misconduct and improper behavior.
The issue arose when Bentancur made a remark on Uruguayan TV, where he was asked to sign a Spurs shirt. His response? "Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same." Yes, you read that right – it was a bad joke about his teammate’s appearance!
Bentancur later apologized for his actions, stating on social media, "Sonny brother! I apologise to you for what happened, it was just a very bad joke. You know I love you and I would never disrespect you or hurt you or anyone else! I love you, brother!"
Son Heung-min, understandably upset by the comments, chose to put the matter to rest on his own social media. "I’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."
The FA, however, has deemed the incident to be more serious, announcing that Bentancur will face charges for alleged improper behavior. The governing body claims the midfielder’s words were abusive, insulting, and brought the game into disrepute.
Per the FA’s statement: "It’s alleged that the Tottenham Hotspur 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." They also emphasized that the breach was deemed "aggravated," as it referenced nationality, race, or ethnic origin.
Bentancur has until September 19th to respond to the charges. According to sources, he is expected to be free to play for Spurs until the case concludes.
As for the North London derby against Arsenal, it’s anyone’s game. Spurs and the Gunners will clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this Sunday afternoon.
Will the FA find Bentancur guilty? Will he be able to put the controversy behind him and perform for Spurs in the future? Stay tuned for further updates!