Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur will be suspended after the Football Association found him guilty of making a racist comment toward teammate Son Heung-Min. The incident, in September, saw the 27-year-old allegedly making a joke that suggested Son and his cousins “all look the same.” Bentancur apologized afterwards, describing the comment as a “very bad joke”, but the FA did not let up on disciplinary action.
Reports from Standard Sport suggested Bentancur could be in line for a suspension of as many as 12 games but is likely to be handed a reduced ban of seven matches. That will rule him out of key games against Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Liverpool in the next three months.
The possible absence of Bentancur is a big blow to under-pressure Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou after the team’s dismal start to the season. Bentancur’s creativity is one of the important constituent elements in Tottenham’s midfield, and his suspension is just one more hole in a squad trying to find their form. With this crucial run of matches fast approaching for Tottenham, the club’s ability to adapt without him will surely be brought into question as they try to keep pace in what has taken shape as a competitive Premier League season.
