Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been handed a seven-match domestic suspension and a huge fine by the Football Association due to comments he made about his teammate Son Heung-min in June.
The Uruguayan midfielder was filmed in a social media clip saying that South Korean people "all look the same" during an interview in Spanish on the television show 'Por La Camiseta'.
When asked by the host if he could obtain a Spurs player's shirt, Bentancur replied, "Sonny's? " and then added, "It could be Sonny's cousin too as they all look the same."
'I don't think Mohamed Salah is world-class - I wouldn't want my kids to play like Liverpool ace'
EXCLUSIVE: I played with Ben Doak before leaving Liverpool and I always knew he had something special
The FA stated that Bentancur breached FA Rule E3.1 by acting improperly and using abusive and/or insulting words, bringing the game into disrepute. The statement also noted that this constitutes an "aggravated breach" under FA Rule E3.2, as it included a reference to nationality, race, and/or ethnic origin.
Son accepted Bentancur's apology, writing on social media: "He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologized. Lolo [Bentancur] 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."
Bentancur has been a regular feature for Tottenham this season, making 15 appearances across all competitions and netting his first goal in last Sunday's 2-1 loss to Ipswich. The Uruguayan midfielder recently returned to international duty after serving a four-match ban following altercations in the aftermath of Uruguay's Copa America exit at the hands of Colombia last summer.
However, he now faces another spell on the sidelines, pending an appeal, which will see him miss Premier League fixtures against Manchester City, Fulham, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Southampton and Liverpool, as well as the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United on December 19. He could potentially return to domestic action when Spurs travel to Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day.
Despite the ban, Bentancur will be available for Europa League matches, making him eligible for the home game against Roma on November 28 and the away fixture at Rangers on December 12.