Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was charged by the Football Association over an alleged misconduct breach for a remark made on Uruguayan TV about teammate Son Heung-min. The Uruguay international had been asked in June by the host of the Canal 10 show for a Spurs player’s shirt, to which he replied: “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”
British anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out said it had received a “significant number” of complaints related to the comment. Bentancur apologised to the South Korea international and Spurs skipper, who said his teammate had “made a mistake”.
A statement from the FA said Bentancur had been charged with an alleged breach of its rules in relation to a media interview. “It’s alleged that the Tottenham midfielder has breached FA Rule E3.1 as he acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute,” the statement said.
“It’s further alleged that this constitutes an ‘aggravated breach’ which is defined in FA Rule E3.2, as it included a reference, whether express or implied, to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin.”
Bentancur has until September 19 to provide a response to the charge. Former Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani was banned for three games and fined £100,000 ($130,000) in 2020 for using the Spanish term “negrito” (small black person) in a social media post.
Kuwait federation suspends bosses over Iraq match chaos
Kuwait’s football federation has suspended one of its top bosses and its PR chief over failings that left fans in sweltering temperatures for hours during a World Cup qualifier against Iraq.
In a statement late Wednesday, the Kuwait Football Association expressed its “deep regret” for ticketing and other logistical problems that marred the game at the 60,000-capacity Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium on Tuesday.
It also said it would launch a probe into the shortcomings, which resulted in fans fainting in temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) as they pleaded with staff for water, with videos of the incidents shared on social media. Ticketing problems also meant some fans without tickets were allowed in, while others who had purchased tickets were refused entry. The federation said it had suspended its secretary-general, Salah al-Qanai, and public relations boss Mohamed Bou Abbas over the “unacceptable events”.