Tottenham Hotspur's Rodrigo Bentancur charged by FA over Son Heung-min comments

The Football Association (FA) has charged Tottenham Hotspur's Rodrigo Bentancur for improper comments about teammate Son Heung-min. Bentancur apologised, but the FA cited an aggravated breach involving race and nationality.

In Short

• Rodrigo Bentancur charged by FA for comments about Son Heung-min
• Rodrigo Bentancur has continued playing for Tottenham Hostpur
• The Spurs midfielder Bentancur apologised, calling it a 'very bad joke'

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been charged by the Football Association (FA) over controversial remarks he made about teammate and Spurs captain Son Heung-min. Bentancur's comments, made during a June interview on Uruguayan television, sparked outrage after he implied that people from South Korea "looked the same."

The 26-year-old apologized swiftly after the remarks gained attention, describing his comment as a "very bad joke." However, the FA has since charged Bentancur for misconduct, alleging that his words breached FA Rule E3, which pertains to improper or abusive language. The FA also cited an "aggravated breach" as his remarks referenced race, nationality, or ethnicity. Bentancur has until September 19, 2024, to respond to the charges.

In their statement, the FA said: "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.

"It's further alleged that this constitutes an "aggravated breach" which is defined in FA Rule E3.2, as it included a reference, whether express or implied, to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin.

"Rodrigo Bentancur has until Thursday 19 September 2024 to provide a response to this charge."

Bentancur has since apologised for the comment, with Son saying in June: "I've spoken to 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."

Son Heung-min accepted Bentancur's apology, stating, "He made a mistake, but we're brothers and nothing has changed." Despite the controversy, Bentancur has continued playing for Tottenham, recently returning to action after an injury. If found guilty, the Uruguayan midfielder could face a significant ban, similar to the eight-game suspension given to former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez for racist comments in 201