Bentancur’s offence carried a punishment of a six to 12-match ban and, in its written reasons,, external the FA stated the participant “requested for the matter to be handled on the idea of written submissions solely”.
A response to the cost despatched by Tottenham on behalf of Bentancur stated: “Rodrigo’s reply was sarcastic and a mild rebuke for the journalist calling Sonny ‘the Korean'”.
“Rodrigo doesn’t imagine that each one Koreans ‘look kind of the identical’. The context of the trade clearly exhibits Rodrigo is being sarcastic… Rodrigo was difficult the journalist in his description of his membership team-mate.”
It was additionally submitted that Bentancur’s apology for his feedback was “not for what he stated, however for the insufficient reporting on the interview which excluded” the presenter’s reference to Son as “the Korean”.
Nonetheless, the panel concluded Bentancur’s “conduct in utilizing the phrases he did, within the full context during which they have been used, was clearly abusive and insulting, and would quantity to misconduct”.
They discovered that the apologies made by him seem to indicate he accepted he had precipitated offence and a statement from Spurs, external in response to his apologies “seems to have accepted that the participant’s remarks had been objectively insulting and/or abusive and discriminatory”.
The panel stated that they may not settle for the submission of Bentancur because it “flies within the face of the proof” and “doesn’t sit with the content material or type of the participant’s apologies or the response of THFC or Son Heung-min”.
In figuring out the sanction, the impartial regulatory fee took into consideration Bentancur had no earlier offences, didn’t imply to trigger offence and, “regardless of the submissions made on his behalf earlier than us which tended to undermine the drive of that early apology, we contemplate his regret was and is real”.
It added: “In all of the circumstances, we contemplate that, by way of culpability and penalties, this breach falls in the direction of the decrease finish of the rule vary however not the bottom level.”
Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out stated it welcomed the choice to carry Bentancur accountable for utilizing a racial slur.
“A major variety of studies have been made to Kick It Out concerning the incident on the time,” stated a press release. “Highlighting how abuse directed at gamers from East and Southeast Asian backgrounds not solely impacts the people concerned but in addition impacts followers within the wider group.
“It is necessary all of us recognise and report the sort of discrimination when it occurs.”