Tottenham Hotspur £21.5m star to miss Chelsea and Man Utd crunch clashes as FA ban confirmed

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur will not be able to feature for the club in upcoming crunch matches against Chelsea and Manchester United after being handed a seven-game suspension by the FA for a racist remark against Spurs captain Son Heung-Min this summer.

The 27-year-old has also been fined £100,000 by the FA as the governing body released a statement to confirm the outcome of the investigation on Monday. In June, Bentancur suggested that all South Koreans 'look the same' during an appearance on Uruguayan TV.

The player apologised for the comment at the time with Tottenham Hotspur and Son also releasing statements of their own on the incident. Son, who is South Korean, tried to defuse the situation by insisting that the two remained 'brothers'.

It had been expected that the FA would take further action and that is now confirmed to be the case with a lengthy suspension for Bentancur which means he will not be able to play for Ange Postecoglou's side until Boxing Day.

That means the midfielder, who arrived in North London from Juventus in 2022 for £21.5 million, will be absent for a crucial part of the season with festive fixtures coming thick and fast. Bentancur will not be able to face Manchester City, Fulham, Bournemouth, Chelsea and Liverpool in top flight action.

He will also be banned for the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United on December 19. Bentancur can still play in Europa League matches with clashes against Roma and Rangers coming before Christmas.

FA release statement on Bentancur ban

Tottenham Hotspur face Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day, which could mark the player's return to domestic action. An FA statement released on Monday said: "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.”