Rodrigo Bentancur ban: What Tottenham star said to Son, captain's response and FA statement

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been slapped with a seven-game suspension by the FA for a racist remark made about teammate Son Heung-Min and the South Korea national side this summer.

The 27-year-old will miss key matches against Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United before his potential return to domestic action on Boxing Day. Bentancur was also handed a £100,000 fine by the FA as the results of an investigation were confirmed on Monday.

Son and Tottenham Hotspur had looked to defuse the situation when it happened this summer with both the captain and the club issuing statements on the matter. Bentancur has played 15 times in all competitions this term, scoring one goal in the recent defeat to Ipswich Town.

What Rodrigo Bentancur said about Son Heung-Min

Bentancur found himself in hot water after an appearance on the Uruguayan Television programme Por La Camiseta this summer. The midfielder was on international duty at the time.

Presenter Rafa Cotelo asked the Spurs man about showing one of his teammate's shirts. Bentancur replied: "Sonny's? It could be Sonny's cousin too as they all look the same."

South Korean international Son shared a response to the clip as it began circulating online. The forward was critical of his teammate's words but did send forgiveness and confirmed the two players had talked about what had happened.

Son response to Bentancur racist remark

In an Instagram post, Son wrote: "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.

"We're past this, we're united, and we will be back together in pre-season to fight for our club as one."

In a separate statement at the time, Tottenham Hotspur confirmed that all players would receive further education "in line with our diversity, equality and inclusion objectives."

"We fully support that our captain Sonny feels that he can draw a line under the incident and that the team can focus on the new season ahead," Spurs added.

FA confirm Rodrigo Bentancur ban

An FA statement on Monday read: "An independent Regulatory Commission has imposed a seven-match suspension and £100,000 fine on Rodrigo Bentancur for a breach of FA Rule E3 in relation to a media interview.

"It was alleged that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder 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 was 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 denied this charge, but the independent Regulatory Commission found it to be proven and imposed his sanctions following a hearing."