Tottenham appealed the severity of Rodrigo Bentancur's seven-match ban but it has been dismissed following a hearing
Tottenham Hotspur have failed in their appeal against Rodrigo Bentancur's seven-match suspension ahead of their Premier League showdown with Liverpool. Ange Postecoglou's side challenged the severity of the Football Association (FA) sanction after the Uruguayan was hit with the ban, as well as a £100,000 fine for using a racial slur against teammate Son Heung-min.
The 27-year-old has already served five of those matches, and an appeal was lodged, but following a hearing, the appeal was dismissed, which means he will be forced to sit out their upcoming matches against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup and Liverpool's trip to North London on December 22.
Bentancur apologised to his club teammate, describing the comments as a "very bad joke”, after an interview this summer where he was asked by a reporter to get hold of a Tottenham shirt.
However, the FA investigated the comments and hit him with a lengthy ban along with a hefty fine. Following the decision from the appeal hearing, the Football Association released a statement which read: "An independent Appeal Board has dismissed an appeal by Rodrigo Bentancur in relation to his recent suspension.
"An independent Regulatory Commission imposed a seven-match suspension on the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder for an aggravated breach of FA Rule E3 in relation to a media interview.
"This appeal was dismissed following a hearing, and the seven-match suspension remains as ordered by the Regulatory Commission. The Appeal Board’s written reasons for its decision will be published in due course."