[오피셜] Tottenham crisis… ‘Son Heung-min’s racism’ Bentancur suspended for 7 games → What happens on Boxing Day?

<img alt=" Bentancur returned to Uruguay last June and made racist remarks targeting Son Heung-min while preparing for the Copa America. It caused a big stir. There was tremendous criticism directed at Bentancur, both at home and abroad. Bentancur posted an apology and only quieted down after Son Heung-min’s forgiveness. However, it was reignited again when the FA announced disciplinary action.” src=”https://static-cdn.sporki.com/news/spotv/202411/2388907/c_715440_1127721_5735.jpg”/>

[스포티비뉴스=김건일 기자] Rodrigo Bentancur, who made racist remarks toward Son Heung-min, was severely punished with a seven-game ban.

According to the BBC on the 18th (Korean time), the England Football Association confirmed that Bentancur, who was accused of making racist remarks against Son Heung-min, would be suspended for seven games and fined 100,000 pounds.

In an interview with the Uruguayan TV program ‘For La Camiseta’ last June, Bentancur mentioned Son Heung-min and made a remark mocking his Asian appearance. At the time, the host asked Bentancur, “Can you get a Korean uniform?” and Bentancur joked, “Son Heung-min? Or how about Son Heung-min’s cousin’s uniform? They all look the same anyway.”

Bentancur’s remarks, which contained the prejudice that all Asians look similar, led to controversy over racism. As the controversy spread beyond the UK and around the world, he tried to resolve the situation by writing an apology to Son Heung-min through social media. Bentancur confessed, “I apologize for what happened to Son Heung-min. It was a very bad joke,” and tagged Son Heung-min’s account to express his sincere apology. Afterwards, Son Heung-min accepted Bentancur’s apology and expressed his support for Bentancur, saying, “We are brothers. And nothing has changed.”

Tottenham also said on its official SNS account, “We fully support Sonny so that he can draw a line on this incident and focus on the upcoming season,” and said that he would help Bentancur and Son Heung-min to unite again and devote themselves to the team. The club announced that it would provide additional training to all players with the goal of diversity, equality, and inclusion, but as no disciplinary action was taken for the incident at the time, some fans were disappointed with the club’s response.

The FA takes a strong stance against racist comments and could recommend Bentancur be banned for at least six games and up to 12 games under the E3 aggravated offense rule. E3 regulations state that comments that disparage others based on race, skin color, nationality, etc. are an aggravated violation.

In 2021, while at Manchester United, Cavani used the word ‘Negrito’ on a fan cheering for him on social media, which was interpreted as a racist remark, and was suspended for three games by the FA and fined 100,000 pounds (approximately 175,860 won). 10,000 won) was disposed of. Cavani felt aggrieved and said the words were made out of affection, not racism, but this was not accepted.

Also, in 2020, Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva was suspended for one game and fined 50,000 pounds for making racist remarks toward teammate Benjamin Mendy. At that time, Silva posted Mendy’s childhood photo on social media with the phrase ‘Guess who it is.’ The problem is that a Spanish chocolate brand mascot was added next to it. The FA interpreted the intention to be racist by comparing the skin color of black people to chocolate.

The news that Bentancur, one of the key midfielders, will be absent amidst a packed schedule is an emergency for Tottenham. Bentancur will not be able to play from the game against Manchester City on the 24th to the game against Manchester United on the 20th of next month. Although they will return ahead of Boxing Day, when three games will be played from the 23rd to the 30th of next month, it is inevitable that the existing players will exhaust their stamina.

Tottenham currently sit in 10th place in the Premier League and need a strong bounce-back after the international break. Coach Postekoglou is experiencing the double whammy of poor performance and criticism after being booed by the home fans during a recent game against Ipswich Town.

Welcome to our podcast, The Editor’s Corner! For this episode, we have‍ an exclusive interview on the recent news that Rodrigo Bentancur, a Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, has been severely punished by the‌ Football Association for his racist remarks towards Son Heung-min. Joining us⁢ are two‍ guests, Joe Smith, a sports ⁣journalist, and Alice Johnson, a diversity advocate.

Joe, as a sports journalist, can you give⁣ us your take on how this incident has‍ unfolded and the significance of the‌ punishment?

Joe: Of‍ course.‌ This incident first⁢ occurred last​ June when Bentancur made ⁤racist remarks towards Son Heung-min during an interview. The response was initially ⁢muted due ​to the upcoming Copa America, and Bentancur even ​publicly apologized on social media. However, the FA’s⁣ recent announcement of a⁢ seven-game⁢ ban and hefty fine has brought the ‌issue ​back into the spotlight. The severity of the punishment shows the‍ Football Association’s zero-tolerance policy towards racism, which is a positive step forward in the fight against discrimination in sports.

Alice, as a diversity advocate, what are your thoughts on the handling of this situation by the ​FA and the club?

Alice: I think the‌ FA’s decision to ‍impose a seven-game⁤ ban and fine Bentancur is a strong stance against racism.⁤ The message ‍is clear that such behavior will not be tolerated.‍ However, I do feel that Tottenham’s initial response was lacking. They could have taken more decisive action and⁢ imposed their own ‌sanctions earlier on. It’s also important for clubs to ⁤continue educating their players ​on‍ diversity and inclusion to prevent future incidents.

Joe, ​do you agree that Tottenham could have done more ‌to address the​ issue ‌earlier?

Joe: Yes, I think⁢ Tottenham could have done ⁣better. ‍They could have suspended or fined Bentancur themselves, as Manchester City did with Bernardo Silva in a similar case in 2020. However, it’s​ understandable that​ they wanted ⁢to keep‌ their ⁣best players available for important matches.⁢ But⁣ not taking more decisive action ⁣initially may have disappointed some⁣ fans.

Alice, how can clubs like Tottenham improve their response to such incidents and create