Daily Star

Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur faces a seven-game ban over comments about his captain Son Heung-min.

The Uruguayan midfielder was filmed last June in a shocking social media clip. In a Spanish interview, he said that South Koreans "all look the same." The interview was broadcast on the Uruguayan TV programme 'Por La Camiseta."

During the interview, Bentancur was asked by the host if he could get him a Spurs player's shirt. The midfielders responded with, "Sonny's?" He then continued to say that "It could be Sonny's cousin too as they all look the same."

The FA had confirmed earlier this year that Bentancur had been charged with an "aggravated breach" of their rules. Bentancur later apologised on his Instagram saying that is what a "very bad joke."

The South Korean forward accepted his team-mate's apology, saying: "He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologised. 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." Chelsea ace Enzo Fernandez meanwhile was not sanctioned for racist and anti-gay chanting that were filmed while he was on international duty.

The derogatory songs were aimed at the French football team and performed when his Argentinian side were at the Copa America. Although FIFA had said that "the incident was being looked into," the FA decided not to investigate the chants.

If FIFA are to find any wrongdoing, and Fernandez faces match bans, these will only apply to Argentina and not Chelsea. The Chelsea player did apologise for what he had done and proceeded to donate to an anti-discrimination charity.

Football fans have been reacting to the news on X with one user saying: "Nearly double John Terry's for abusing Anton Ferdinand and 7 more than Enzo Fernandez for his part in singing racist songs."

Another commented: "[Luis] Suarez got a lesser ban for biting someone and Enzo Fernandez got away with it," and a third said: "Enzo Fernandez really is a lucky c***, isn't he? How the hell has he not been banned as well?"

A fourth poster commented: "Why has bentancur been punished but enzo fernandez not?" And another said: "My issue with it is Enzo Fernandez should be getting something or it’s not fair or consistent."

Football stadium food - often referred to as 'footy scran' - is always a hot topic among fans, especially when visiting a new ground for the first time.

This was certainly true for several Tottenham Hotspur supporters who were left feeling disappointedly hungry in Hungary after rejecting the menu at their Europa League opponents Ferencvaros, earlier this month. The Budapest club's version of cheese and onion toast was a far cry from the fare back home at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which opened its doors in April 2019.

There, supporters can tuck into pie with mash and gravy or a beef lasagne with garlic bread and rocket salad at half time for a fair London price. Away from home, however, despite being more than reasonably priced at 400 Hungarian Forint (around 85p), the Hungarian dish offered little to appease the hunger pangs of those who took the two-and-a-half hour flight.

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In a photo shared by X account, Sports Scran (@SportScran) and captioned with a translation of "greasy bread", a Spurs fan's card container could be seen with a barely toasted slice of bread, melted cheese and several hastily chopped slices of red onion.

Thankfully, Spurs went on to win the match 2-1 thanks to goals from Brennan Johnson and Pape Matar Sarr, but it seems the food on their travels left an unwanted lasting impression. Scores took to X to slam the "delicacy", with many confessing they'll never criticise food back in Britain again.

"Did a five-year old make this? " one puzzled punter questioned. "Hungarian food is too funny," chuckled another, adding: "This is what my Hungarian friend gave me last year. He said it's a Hungarian delicacy."

A third critic lashed out: "It's crazy how some places just don't understand food." A fourth quipped: "Wouldn't eat this if I was starving in a zombie apocalypse." Meanwhile, a Hibernian supporter from Scotland couldn't resist a dig either: "Will never complain about the a**e collapsing out a steak pie at Easter Road again."

Others, however, suggested the plate may have some use as a beer-absorbing miracle: "Plenty will mock this, but it'll save your life at the eighth pint," one X user joked, while another admitted: "I'd scran that. Really soak up the beers."

A third chimed in praising the snack: "Sorry to say but that's scran. For that price? Those simple yet unmistakable flavours? You could do so much worse." And a bargain-hunting fourth person agreed: "I'd take four for that price."

In contrast, over at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, reviews keep rolling in with a solid 4.5 out of 5 TripAdvisor score from over 800 visitors. Fans rave about the grub and service, with one visitor left gushing after their trip: "The Beavertown Neckoil is outstanding, a truly lovely pint."

They continued: "Really enjoyed the Margarita pizza, for commercial catering this was very tasty, really enjoyable. And highly recommended. Staff are all very friendly and helpful. Recommend you arrive well before kick off and enjoy the food and drink."

The name's Popescu, Gheorghe Popescu.

Tottenham fans might not remember their Romanian defender as being football's answer to James Bond. However, before he rocked up on these shores, the defender was employed as a spy - tasked with snitching on team-mates.

While on the up at first club Universitatea Craiova, Popescu, who turned 57 on Wednesday (October 9), acted as an informant on his team-mates who were feared to be a defection risk as they were regularly playing European football in the late 1980s.

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Shaken but not stirred, he originally denied helping the secret police, who were under the regime of dictator Nicolae Ceacescu - but he later admitted to signing a document promising to 'defend the national interests’.

There was little choice but to cooperate for Popescu. He was one of 700,000 informants in the eastern European nation at that time, which equated to 4% of the population.

Once communism fell in Romania in 1989, Popescu was able to spread his wings, heading to PSV Eindhoven where he spent four years. He'd turned down a move to Real Madrid in favour of venturing to the Netherlands, and later joined their rivals Barcelona from Tottenham in a £3million deal in 1995.

It was during his solitary season at White Hart Lane that English fans might best remember him. However, in his home country he became infamous after retirement.

In 2014, he was back in the headlines a decade later when he and seven others were convicted by a Romanian appeals court of money laundering and tax evasion, in connection with the transfer of football players.

Popescu was sentenced to a jail term of three years and one month but was released after 18 months in November 2015 for good behaviour.

The 57-year-old has returned to football, though, and he is chairman of Liga 1 side Farul Constanta, where his son Nicolas plays.

A model famed for having two vaginas recently announced her love for Spurs and has now made a very bold prediction.

Annie Charlotte, 25, caused a stir after going to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a mini dress last month. She later pledged her loyalty to the north London club.

But the social media star - and her two sets of private parts - have now spoken to the Daily Star about what is in her mind’s eye.

She said: “I want Spurs fans to know I’m just as big a fan as they are and I’m with Spurs all the way. Me and my two vaginas are feeling good about this season.

“We’re going to get a trophy - just watch. I said this when I watched the Brentford game. I was like, 'we’re going to win this'. You just have to say we’re going to win and you’ve got to manifest that win.”

Her encouraging words will be welcome news for Ange Postecoglou (we assume he will be reading this) who looked perplexed after his side gave up a two-goal lead to lose to Brighton last time out.

Annie said she was “absolutely gutted” at the defeat after being “convinced” the club would win every single game from now until May.

However, the content creator, who earns a living from OnlyFans, is expecting the team to bounce back with a win against West Ham after the international break.

Her favourite players are Mickey van de Ven and Heung-min Son and she is also predicting Brendan Johnson to score his seventh goal in seven matches.

Annie said a lot of her pals are Spurs mates and she went to the Brentford match after one of her mates invited her.

Reflecting on her experience, she said: “Oh my god, it was so much fun. I had the best time ever. It was such a laugh but also really exciting.

“It was incredible and I knew right then I had to see more games. Now I want to go to every single match because I’m completely obsessed.

“I’ve been watching every game from home ever since and honestly it felt like fate. Seeing them win during my first ever football match made think - this is my team.

“I felt like a good luck charm and the whole experience of going to a live football match was insane - the atmosphere, the energy - and it is something everyone should experience.”

Annie was born with two uteruses and cervixes and was diagnosed with uterus didelphys after getting the contraceptive coil fitted at 16. It means she could theoretically conceive two babies at the same time and she said both vaginas are “functional” and she has two periods.

It's been almost two years since Tottenham winger Steven Bergwijn missed an absolute sitter in an FA Cup victory over Brighton and let the world see his shockingly bad tattoo.

Luckily his miss didn't impact the result with Spurs claiming an impressive 3-1 win in North London. Unsurprisingly Harry Kane starred for the hosts, who were later eliminated in the fifth round by Championship side Middlesbrough.

The 2021-22 season was full of ups and downs for the Lilywhites, with the club sacking then-manager Nuno Espirito Santo after just a few months in charge and replacing him with Antonio Conte. It was also Bergwijn's final season in a Spurs shirt, with the Dutchman - who turns 26 today, Tuesday, October 8 - making 32 appearances.

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One of those came in that cup game against Brighton and it wasn't his miss that attracted headlines at full-time. Instead, fans were quick to point out a previously unseen tattoo on the inside of his thigh that was snapped by a photographer.

The tattoo read: "BLOOD THICKER THEN WATER." Given English isn't his first language Bergwijn can be forgiven for his poor grammar, but the tattoo artist doesn't have an excuse for confusing 'then' with 'than'.

Several supporters mocked the ink online, with one saying: "Finding out Bergwijn has a tattoo spelt wrong on his thigh has made my day."

“I will never be able to look at Bergwijn again without thinking about the typo on his tattoo,” added another. One user joked on Reddit “If blood too thick then add water. It's just a reminder to hydrate."

The mistake still haunts him to this day, with the 26-year-old now playing in Saudi Arabia for Al-Ittihad, alongside the likes of Karim Benzema, Fabinho and N'Golo Kante. When you miss an easy chance, probably best not to pull your shorts up Steven.

The day after Tottenham Hotspur smashed Manchester United 3-0 - the club trolled darts sensation Luke Littler on social media.

Tagging Littler, Spurs revealed the Premier League Darts champion had followed them on X, before adding: “Ooop (eyes emoji) You finally seen the light @LukeTheNuke180?”

The north London club accompanied the cheeky post with a picture of James Maddison and Son Heung-min doing the iconic darts throw celebration.

One fan replied: “Admin has been cooking in the last two games and I’m loving it.”

A second wrote: “After we beat United (his boyhood club) too.”

Littler, 17, has followed Man United his whole life and grew up in neighbouring Warrington, and has even met current stars Harry Maguire and Christian Eirksen to take them on in a darts challenge.

But despite his allegiance being the Red Devils, the kebab-loving teenager has flirted with Tottenham ever since his rapid rise to fame, and below we look at the unlikely bromance.

Littler grabbed the attention of the sporting world aged 16 when he went on an unforgettable run at the World Darts Championship last year.

He managed to get all the way to the final, and during the tournament he impressed Spurs midfielder and darts fan James Maddison.

After beating Raymond van Barneveld 4-1 to reach the last-16 at All Pally, the England player invited Littler to the nearby Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

He allowed the youngster to take a break from darts to watch Spurs play Bournemouth in his exclusive box.

Posting pictures on Instagram on New Years Eve, Littler said: “Nice chilled day at the Spurs vs Bournemouth game today thanks to James for letting me in today, nice to get some time of (sic), last 8 tomorrow.”

Maddison also shared a picture with his 2million followers, saying: “16 years old. After a few tips from myself on his throw & action/rhythm, I think he might have a half decent career. Good luck in the quarter final young man. COYS.”

The match was a good one for Tottenham who ended up as 3-1 winners thanks to goals from Pape Sarr, Son Heung-min and Richarlison.

Littler later went to watch another Spurs game last season - but this time it was in the director’s box at Old Trafford to see United draw 2-2 with Tottenham.

And speaking about the game, he said: “Unbelievable, I met Sir Alex Ferguson and got him to sign my top for me. I had a chat with him and I was with Tommy Fury as well.

“It was good to get me in a quite good seat and I actually wore some decent clothes for once, instead of just tracksuit.”

And speaking about his dream, he added: “Hopefully, I can win the world championship or even a major trophy this year - one of the fix or six majors that are on offer - and take it to Old Trafford.”

Littler never replied to the recent Spurs tweet - suggesting his loyalties will remain in Manchester for many years to come.

James Maddison is seriously unlucky to be the odd one out at Tottenham following the latest batch of international call-ups.

While Dominic Solanke, back in the England fold for the first time in seven years, is among four Spurs forwards selected by their respective countries this month, Maddison is once again conspicuous by his absence.

And former England and Tottenham ace Darren Anderton believes that is harsh on the Three Lions midfielder, who has been in the international wilderness since being axed before last summer’s European Championships.

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The crucial lynchpin in Tottenham’s five-match winning streak, Maddison, on current form, is second only to Chelsea’s prolific Cole Palmer, according to Anderton - and therefore fully warrants a place in Lee Carsley’s squad.

The ex-White Hart Lane winger, capped 30 times by England from 1994 to 2001, declared: “I love watching him. Maddison has been outstanding in these fast few games, the real key for us.

“He should definitely be back in the England squad. He’s different class. Players should be picked on form and he’s right up there at this moment with the best - behind only Palmer, like everybody is!

“The way he plays is so entertaining, he’s always trying to make things happen in the final third, trying to create openings and opportunities for others. Maddison is that player for us.

“He can do it all. Whether it’s a shot, a cross from outside the box or a cute little pass inside the area. He’s a joy to watch.

“You can see the confidence in him now. He wants the ball off the back four, he plays all types of passes. And he also works hard. He’s a team player.”

If Maddison is pulling the strings for Ange Postecoglou’s side, no question it is Brennan Johnson, supported by £65million record summer signing Solanke and Swede Dejan Kulusevski, providing a ruthless cutting edge up front, one which was sorely missing earlier in the campaign.

Last month Wales winger Johnson decided to delete his Instagram account because of the vile abuse and criticism being aimed at him amid a patchy opening few months at the club.

And the 23-year-old former Nottingham Forest man has responded in fabulous fashion by rattling five goals in as many games for the red-hot North Londoners ahead of Sunday's trip to Brighton.

Anderton, a huge favourite on the flanks during more than a decade in N17, has nothing but praise and admiration for Johnson’s extraordinary transformation.

“I struggled when I came first to this club but never had to deal with something like that. It’s not nice. Nobody deserves that sort of thing,” said the former-Portsmouth, Birmingham and Bournemouth playmaker, 51.

“I’m so delighted he’s turned it around. He’s a young kid, at a new club, and there werethese questions about his final ball and decision making.

“But whenever I watch him, he’s so positive, always going beyond his marker.

“That’s horrible to play against and so refreshing for our centre forward Solanke. You need wingers like Brennan.”

Tottenham is cracking down on their own supporters for vile homophobic chanting during their thumping win over Manchester United.

The chant, aimed at new hero Dominic Solanke, featured homophobic lyrics aimed at Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

As Spurs trounced United 3-0 at Old Trafford, Solanke netted the final goal, but what should've been pure elation was tainted by the chant. Spurs have since released a statement on the chanting: "The Club is aware of abhorrent homophobic chanting from sections of our away support at Old Trafford today.

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"This is simply unacceptable, hugely offensive and no way to show support for the team.

"The Club will be working closely with the Police and stewards to identify anyone instigating or joining in with the chanting - we shall take the strongest possible action in accordance with our Sanctions and Banning Policy.

"Supporters in attendance today can report anything they’ve seen or heard in confidence to supporterservices@tottenhamhotspur.com. We shall be continuing our work with our LGBTQ+ supporters’ association, Proud Lilywhites, to ensure a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans on matchdays.

"We are justly proud of our superb and loyal support, home and away. However, we all have a responsibility to act as ambassadors of Tottenham Hotspur and discrimination of any kind has no place at our Club."

Proud Lilywhites were heartened by the probe and the club's firm statement. They issued a reminder regarding the effects of homophobic chants: "Loved what happened on the pitch at Old Trafford; didn't love the homophobic chanting off the pitch. Dom deserves better and as for the other one."

They reinforced their belonging within the Spurs community through their statement which conveyed: "We're all Spurs fans just like you. When you sing these songs you're telling us we don't belong; and we do-as much as you do."

Dominic Solanke’s record £65million move to Tottenham received Harry Kane’s full seal of approval.

The England skipper’s £100m departure to Bayern Munich 14 months ago left a huge hole in attack at his beloved Spurs. That was finally filled with the capture of Solanke from Bournemouth in August and, despite a slow start to his new career, he is now delivering the goods - with two goals in his last couple of outings.

Ahead of Tottenham’s trip to Manchester United this Sunday, the in-form Spurs hitman revealed how Kane gave him a message of support - in person - on the day his summer arrival was confirmed.

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Solanke, who smashed 21 league goals for Bournemouth last term, said: “I actually saw him when Bayern came here during pre-season. Harry came into our changing room and we spoke.

“We had a few words and he had only good things to say about the club. It was probably just what you expect. He spoke so highly about Spurs and about how good the players and staff are."

As for coping with the hefty expectations that come with a hefty price-tag, Solanke insists they are inevitable - but that the critics writing him off only a few weeks into the new season were a tad hasty.

Especially, if you consider he was out injured with an ankle problem for league games against Everton and Newcastle. Solanke, 27, went on: “Yeah, that was probably premature after a few games and given the start to the season I had.

"No matter how much you get bought for, what club you play for, there’s always going to be pressure in football. So it’s something we have to deal with, something we all know is part of the game."

Attempting to emulate the record-breaking feats of Kane, who is Tottenham’s all-time greatest scorer with 280 goals - is not part of Solanke’s focus or motivation in N17.

The ex-Chelsea and Liverpool forward went on: “No, not really. Harry is who he is. I don’t think anyone would want to see him replaced anyway. He’s a world-class striker. I’m here and want to score as many goals as I can and, hopefully, we win some trophies.”

That, of course, is something Kane never managed during more than a decade leading the Spurs line. A decent result at Old Trafford this weekend would certainly be another boost to the morale of Ange Postecoglou’s squad as they aim for a third successive win in all competitions.

Solanke added: “Everyone knows how big a club United are, so it’s going to be tough. But we are not scared of anyone. We will go there and be on the front foot.”

With the next England squad to be named in a fortnight, Solanke, whose only senior appearance came seven years ago against Brazil, would love another call. He said: “If you're doing your stuff for a club like Tottenham, it's definitely a lot easier to get into the fold. Tottenham is my main aim - to score and win stuff here - then hopefully get into the England team.

Football veteran David Pleat has been given the red card as a scout at Spurs and been replaced by robots.

The former club manager had been involved with the Premier League side for decades before being sent for an early bath.

And he moaned that the modern trend to use computer stats is no substitute for watching players in real life.

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Pleat, 79, said: “I finished at Tottenham recently.

“I was the last scout standing – they’ve gone for data completely now.

“Good luck to them, but there’s a place for scouts.

“A scout can tell you things data can’t: if the boy is popular with his team-mates, how he reacts when he hasn’t got the ball, what he’s like off the field...”

Pleat told FourFourTwo that he recommended a string of stars to Spurs, including former England ace Dele Alli.

He added: “At one stage they could have sold him for over £80m, then things happened.

“I’m sad because I saw him at 16 and he already had that stature about him, and he could play, too.”

In his new book Just One More Goal, Pleat lifted the lid on the change at Tottenham when it came to hunting talent when Antonio Conte was boss.

He said: “Every time I went to the training ground there seemed to be more suits, worn by more people with more titles.

“I suggested that everyone wore lanyards with name tags because you were not always sure who you were shaking hands with.

“There were so many scouts, most of them data scouts who never left the office, that if you wanted to bring a boy in for a trial, you had to go through three different people.

“By March 2024, five senior scouts had been released, the most senior of whom was Ian Broomfield, who had been chief scout under Harry Redknapp.

“My feeling has always been that there is no need to fix something that wasn’t broken. It seemed a revolution for revolution’s sake.”

Tottenham Hotspur were approached for comment.