Bentancur’s infraction carried a ban of six to 12 games and, in his written reasons,, external The FA said the player “requested that the matter be dealt with through written submissions only”.
A response to the allegation sent by Tottenham on Bentancur’s behalf said: “Rodrigo’s response was sarcastic and a gentle rebuke to the journalist who called Sonny ‘the Korean’.”
“Rodrigo does not believe that all Koreans ‘look more or less the same’. The context of the exchange clearly shows that Rodrigo is being sarcastic… Rodrigo was challenging the journalist in his description of his teammate.”
It was also claimed that Bentancur’s apology for his comments was “not for what he said, but for inadequate information about the interview that excluded” the presenter’s reference to Son as “the Korean”.
However, the panel concluded that Bentancur’s “conduct in using the words he used, in the full context in which they were used, was clearly abusive and insulting, and would amount to misconduct.”
They found that the apology he made appears to show that he accepted causing offense and a statement from Spurs., external in response to his apology “he appears to have accepted that the player’s comments had been objectively insulting and/or abusive and discriminatory.”
The panel said they could not accept Bentancur’s submission because it “goes against the evidence” and “does not conform to the content or form of the player’s apology or the response of THFC or Son Heung-min.”
In determining the sanction, the independent regulatory commission took into account that Bentancur had committed no previous offences, had no intention to offend and, “despite submissions made on his behalf to us which tended to undermine the force of that early apology, “We consider his remorse was and is genuine.”
He added: “In all the circumstances we consider that, in terms of culpability and consequences, this offense falls towards the lower end of the guideline range, but not towards the low end.”
Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out said it welcomed the decision to hold Bentancur accountable for using a racial slur.
“A significant number of reports were made to Kick It Out about the incident at the time,” a statement said. “Highlighting how abuse directed at players of East and Southeast Asian origins not only affects the individuals involved but also affects fans in the wider community.
“It is important that we all recognize and report this type of discrimination when it occurs.”
