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Tottenham have had some disruptions to their preparation for the game against Manchester City this weekend.
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Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou confirmed he has yet to speak to midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur after the Spurs player was banned for seven games following comments he made about teammate Son Heung-min while on international duty.
An independent regulatory commission gave found him guilty of using a racial slur towards captain Son Heung-min. Tottenham have decided to appeal the decision, which includes a £100,000 fine and a seven-game ban, with the club describing the punishment as "severe." The club acknowledged that Bentancur had made a mistake and deserved to be punished, but they believe the fine and suspension are excessive.
Speaking after the punishment was confirmed, Postecoglou said he had not yet spoken to his midfielder because Bentancur had not yet returned from international duty with Uruguay. He told Sky Sports: "It's disappointing because he's been great for us this year. He's one of the players whose form has gone up a level. But we understood this was kind of coming, and there was an acceptance from everyone that whatever the penalties were... I fully support the club's decision to appeal the severity of the ban, but ultimately, we know it's going to be for a certain number of games.
"We will work with Rodrigo through that and make sure that, during that time, he has all our support in the right ways, so when he is available again, he’ll be ready to go. I haven't spoken to him since the news came out. He's been away with Uruguay and isn't quite back yet. I had spoken to him in the lead-up to it. As I said at the time, he understands he made a mistake, he's prepared to accept whatever penalty comes his way, and we, as a club, are going to support him.
"The one thing that's undeniable to me, because I know him, is that he's an outstanding person. He's an unbelievable teammate, and a person of the utmost character who made a mistake. I think when that happens, our role is to support him in any way we can."
Tottenham will now look to secure all three points at the Etihad Stadium against a Manchester City side that has struggled recently but has been lifted by the news that manager Pep Guardiola has signed a new two-year contract with the club. City have lost their last four games and the Spaniard insisted he didn’t feel it was his time to leave the club come the end of the season.
"I felt I could not leave now. Maybe the four defeats was why," Guardiola told the club's website. "I think we deserve, after four defeats in a row, to bounce back and try to turn the situation. I think we deserve to be here. I am not arrogant to say, but it's the truth. We have to recover that because right now we don't have it and that's the target we have to do. This is my ninth season here. We have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club. Hopefully now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus."