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Tottenham star hit with one of biggest bans in Premier League history

Rodrigo Bentancur has been handed one of the longest bans in Premier League history for making a racist remark about Tottenham Hotspur teammate Son Heung-min.

Uruguay international Bentancur has been ordered to sit out seven games and fined £100,000 after a Football Association disciplinary committee found him guilty at a hearing.

The remarks date back to June when Bentancur was asked by Canal 10 TV in his homeland to show a Spurs shirt and was asked if it was South Korea forwards Son’s.

He replied: “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”

The ban is the second longest to be issued in the Premier League for racist language, after former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez’s eight-match suspension in 2011.

Former England and Chelsea captain John Terry received a four-game ban in 2012 after he was found guilty of using racist language to QPR’s Anton Ferdinand.

Bentancur ban: Games he’ll miss for Tottenham

Bentancur apologised for his remarks about Son soon after they emerged but contested the charge that the alleged racist element constituted an aggravated breach of FA rules.

The former Juventus midfielder, 27, has made 15 appearances for Tottenham this season but will now miss all of their domestic games until Boxing Day.

He will sit out Premier League fixtures with Manchester City, Fulham, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Southampton and Liverpool, as well as a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United, but will be available for Europa League dates with Roma and Rangers.

An FA spokesperson 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.”

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has said it is his “responsibility” to fix Spurs after the London outfit lost 2-1 at home to Ipswich to hand the Tractor Boys a first Premier League win of the season.

Republic of Ireland international Sammie Szmodics put the visitors ahead before Liam Delap doubled Ipswich’s lead. Rodrigo Bentancur cut the deficit but it was not enough to hand the promoted side a first three-pointer since their return to the top flight.

Postecoglou: Hugely disappointing

“It is hugely disappointing, it is unacceptable,” Postecoglou said. “It is my responsibility, I have got to fix it.

“We’re being inconsistent this year, it is fair to say and we shouldn’t be that inconsistent.

“When you are that inconsistent the responsibility lies with me to try and help the players overcome it.”

The result leaves Tottenham 10th in the Premier League table but the three points for Ipswich have jumped them out of the relegation zone.

Out of the woods

Elsewhere Nottingham Forest dropped out of the top three after losing 3-1 at home to Newcastle United.

Despite going ahead to Murillo’s first goal in a Forest shirt the City Ground faithful saw Alexander Isak, Joelinton and Harvey Barnes strike for the visitors.

The result leaves Nottingham fifth with Newcastle United eighth – just one point separates Chelsea in third and Aston Villa in ninth.

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s final match in charge of Manchester United before the arrival of Ruben Amorim saw the Red Devils beat Leicester 3-0.

Bruno Fernandes thought he scored a first-half brace for the home team but his second went down as a Victor Kristiansen own goal. Alejandro Garnacho netted the third to ensure Amorim takes charge of a side 12th in the Premier League table – Leicester City are 15th, three points clear of the relegation zone.

Why Tottenham Hotspur have been named the best-run football club in England

Tottenham Hotspur’s trophy cabinet may continue to gather dust but they can finally claim a title after being named England’s best-run football club in the Fair Game Index.

Spurs saw off Manchester United, Cambridge United, Brentford and Norwich City to top the Index, which is based on 226 metrics spanning finances, governance, ethical standards and fan engagement.

The study is designed to score clubs on the areas with which the incoming independent football regulator will be concerned.

It was conducted by Fair Game, the coalition of more than 30 professional clubs which campaigns for governance reforms in football.

Tottenham achieved 68.2 points out of 100, scoring highly in all four main pillars but in particular governance, necessitated by the fact they are a PLC.

“As a club that prides itself on good governance – with a key focus on sustainability, fan engagement and delivering for our local communities – we are delighted to have been recognised as England’s best-run club by the Fair Game Index,” said Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.

“This ranking further demonstrates the huge strides that are being made off the pitch, with our world-class stadium and innovative partnerships enabling sustainable, recurring investment into our football operations to ensure we remain competitive on the pitch and challenge for major honours.

“We welcome Fair Game’s work in highlighting the important role we can all play in operating sustainably to ensure our clubs remain at the heart of our local communities and for fans to enjoy for many generations to come.”

Manchester United, also a PLC, scored 65.4 and achieved the highest marks in the Premier League for financial sustainability.

League One side Cambridge ranked high for sustainability, while second-tier Norwich excelled in governance and fan engagement. Brentford scored well in all departments.

“Football is far from perfect but with the likelihood of an incoming football regulator there is a real chance to change it for the better,” said Fair Game CEO Niall Couper.

“To deliver real and meaningful change we need to understand the problems. We’ve designed the Fair Game Index to do exactly that and help reshape the game we love.

“It is the most comprehensive analysis yet of what it means to be a well-run club, and we’re calling on the authorities, the Football Regulator and football’s governing bodies to work with us.

“This year, several overall themes have emerged: financial sustainability goes hand in hand with good governance and fan engagement; football’s financial flow is undermining sustainability; and equality and ethical standards are on average treated as lip service.

“In short, football in England needs a truly independent regulator that can oversee good governance, re-shape football’s financial flow, and ensure issues around equality and ethics get the support and respect they deserve.”

English clubs were mostly overshadowed by their neighbours, however, with the Scottish Premier League having a higher average score overall and for both finances and governance than its counterpart south of the border.

Celtic ranked No1 in the whole study, while Hearts, Hibernian, Aberdeen, St Mirren, Motherwell and Kilmarnock also made the top 10. Scottish football is not due to come under the regulator’s remit.

“In Scotland, the authorities have the chance to learn from England, not repeat their mistakes, and build a stronger future for the game north of the border,” Couper added.

Tottenham top Fair Game Index: England’s top 10

Haringey Council hands Tottenham Hotspur huge financial ‘Beyonce boost’

Tottenham Hotspur are set for a major financial boost after Haringey Council extended the club’s licence for hosting major non-football events, such as concerts from the likes of Beyonce, from 16 to 32 a year.

The club’s commercial income has already trebled from £70m to £228m since their move from White Hart Lane in 2019, and will increase further over the next few years as the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium increasingly rivals Wembley as the country’s the pre-eminent venue.

As part of the deal with Haringey Council, local residents will get a 24-hour priority booking window for all concerts.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has hosted NFL matches, European club rugby finals weekend and gigs by major artists including Beyonce and Pink over the last 12 months, with more lucrative events set to follow.

Non-football events were the main factor in the 24 per cent increase in the club’s commercial income from £184m to £228m last year, the second highest growth in the Premier League after Manchester United’s.

The combination of more non-football events and a 60,000 matchday capacity has led to Tottenham’s new stadium catapulting them up the Premier League’s income table, where they sit fourth with revenue of £549m last year.

With the potential to double the number of third-party events, Spurs are aiming to catch third-placed Liverpool, although Manchester City and United are way out in front with total income of £718m and £650m last year.

Tottenham clear-out gathers pace as Leicester agree £20m transfer

Tottenham Hotspur are set to continue their summer clear-out by selling midfielder Oliver Skipp to Leicester City for a fee of more than £20m.

Skipp, 23, is expected to complete his move on Monday before the two clubs meet in their first Premier League match of the season in the evening.

The Spurs youth product will become the eighth first-team player to depart on a permanent basis during the current transfer window as manager Ange Postecoglou remodels his squad.

Postecoglou has already sold Emerson Royal to AC Milan and Joe Rodon to Leeds United, while Eric Dier, Tanguy Ndombele, Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon and Japhet Tanganga have left on free transfers.

In addition, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Bryan Gil have gone out on loan, as have youngsters Dane Scarlett and Alejo Veliz.

The fee for Skipp will be booked as pure profit in Tottenham’s accounts because he came through the north London club’s academy and will help to offset their five new signings.

Spurs have spent over £100m on Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke, Leeds midfielder Archie Gray and Burnley winger Wilson Odobert.

They also signed teenagers Lucas Bergvall from Sweden and Min-hyeok Yang from South Korea.

Skipp is set to become Leicester’s fifth recruit since they returned to the Premier League as winners of the Championship.

He follows Abdul Fatawu, who joined from Sporting Lisbon after a successful loan spell, Atalanta defender Caleb Okoli, Chelsea youngster Michael Golding and free transfer Bobby De Cordova-Reid.

The former owner of Tottenham Hotspur Joe Lewis is this week set to be sentenced after pleading guilty to insider trading in the US.

In the lead up to the 2023-24 Investec Champions Cup Round of 16, City A.M. has put together a barometer in partnership with Investec.