Tottenham Files An Appeal For Rodrigo Bentancur's Sentence

Rodrigo Bentancur was banned from seven English competitions for racist speech (Instagram/@rodrigo_bentancur).

Tottenham Hotspur has appealed for a seven-match ban imposed on midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur by the English Football Association (FA).

The Uruguayan midfielder was sanctioned by the FA for racist comments. The comments were addressed to his teammate, Son Heung-Min, in a television interview in the middle of this year.

The 27-year-old was banned from playing seven matches and a fine of 100,000 points by the FA on Tuesday, November 19, 2024.

He was considered to have used harsh language and defamed him during a Spanish interview on Uruguay television in June 2024.

The FA indictment stems from a clip uploaded on social media after Bentancur was interviewed on the television program Uruguay Por La Camiseta.

Rafa Cotelo's host asked Bentancur for the Spurs' T-shirt, which he answered, "Punya Sonny (Son Heung-Min, ed.)?"

"That could be Sonny's cousin too because they all look the same," Bentancur continued.

He denied the FA indictment. Spurs said they accepted the indictment, but believed that the length of the ban given to Bentancur was too harsh.

"We can confirm that the Club has appealed against the length of the FA ban on Rodrigo Bentancur, which was issued earlier this week."

"Although we accept Rodrigo's guilty verdict by the FA Independent Regulatory Commission, we believe the next sanctions will be severe."

"Rodrigo will remain banned from playing in domestic competitions as long as the appeal is heard. The club will not provide further comment during this time," Spurs said in a statement on Wednesday, November 20, 2024.

The ban, if enforced, does not apply to European competition. This means that Bentancur can still play against AS Roma and Rangers in the Europa League.

However, he will miss the 2024/2025 Premier League match against Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool, as well as the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup against Manchester United.