The Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been charged by the Football Association for an alleged misconduct breach for a remark made about his teammate Son Heung-min.
In June the Uruguay international was asked by the host of the Canal 10 show for a Spurs player’s shirt, to which he replied: “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”
The anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out said it had received a “significant number” of complaints. Bentancur apologised to the South Korea international and Spurs skipper, who said that his teammate had “made a mistake”.
A statement from the FA said: “Rodrigo Bentancur has been charged with an alleged breach of FA Rule E3 for misconduct in relation to a media interview. It’s alleged that the Tottenham midfielder has 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’s 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 has until Thursday 19 September 2024 to provide a response to this charge.”