Tottenham player Rodrigo Bentancur received a seven-game suspension for using a racial epithet directed at Heung-Min Son.

The Football Association has awarded Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur a seven-match domestic ban for making a racist comment about teammate Heung-Min Son during a television interview.

On September 12, the FA charged Bentancur with alleged misconduct in connection with a June media interview in which the host of Canal 10 urged Bentancur to reveal a Spurs player's shirt.

Bentancur, a former Juventus player, retorted: "Sonny's? Since they all have the same appearance, it can also be Sonny's relative.

Even though Bentancur quickly apologised, an independent regulatory commission panel had to decide whether to uphold the FA complaint or drop the case because this was a "aggravated breach."

Bentancur will miss Tottenham's next seven domestic games after the independent regulatory commission panel sustained the accusation, although he will still be free to play for the team in their next Europa League games against Rangers and Roma.

According to an FA spokesperson: "Rodrigo Bentancur has been suspended for seven games and fined £100,000 by an independent regulatory committee for violating FA Rule E3 regarding a media interview.

The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder was accused of violating FA Rule E3.1 by acting inappropriately, using derogatory or abusive language, and/or bringing the game into disrepute.

Furthermore, it was claimed that this constituted a "aggravated breach" as described by FA Rule E3.2 because it contained an explicit or implicit reference to nationality, 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."

After the Uruguayan promptly apologised to him and acknowledged that he had "made a mistake," Son claimed that he and Bentancur were still "brothers" and that "nothing had changed."

The Bentancur Kick It Out statement

The decision to ban and penalise Bentancur has been discussed by a representative of Kick It Out, a group that works to combat discrimination in sports.

"We applaud today's decision to hold Rodrigo Bentancur accountable for using a racial slur," they said in an interview with Sky Sports News.

"A significant number of reports were made to Kick It Out regarding the incident at the time, highlighting how abuse directed at players from East and Southeast Asian backgrounds not only impacts the individuals involved but also affects fans in the wider community."