• Rodrigo Bentancur has been handed a seven-match ban after being found guilty of using a racist comment.
• Tottenham Hotspur midfielder’s comments about teammate Heung-min Son landed him in trouble
• This ban comes at a time when Enzo Fernandez’s controversial chants against French players remain unpunished to this day.

Rodrigo Bentancur has become the latest footballer to be banned after making racist insults during a media interview.

The Football Association (FA) has hit the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder with seven match ban and £100,000 fine.

What did Rodrigo Bentancur do?

Bentancur was accused of using a racial term to address teammate and club captain Heung-min Son during a television interview in his native Uruguay. The 27-year-old was asked to provide a jersey of his teammates, to which he replied:

“Sonny’s?” It could also be Sonny’s cousin, since they all look the same.

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His quick apology did not stop the FA from taking over the matter and investigating. He was found to have violated FA Rule E3which prevents players from acting inappropriately and/or using offensive and/or insulting language and/or bringing the game into disrepute.

The Enzo Fernandez racism case

His comments came weeks before Enzo Fernandez went live on Instagram and allegedly led to his Argentina teammates using racist and homophobic comments against Kylian Mbappe and other French players.

His Chelsea teammate, Wesley Fofana, denounced him on social networks, criticizing his “uninhibited racism”. The controversial comments threatened to derail Enzo Maresca’s early reign at Stamford Bridge, but Fernandez confessed and immediately apologized to his teammates, as reported by Tutor.

Chelsea initiated disciplinary proceedings against their £106.8 million man, but took no further action.

Why Bentancur was banned while Fernandez was not

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So why was Bentancur, who also issued an apology, banned while Fernandez was “quietly released”?

For starters, Fernandez isn’t out of the woods yet – the matter is still under investigation, but we’ll get to that.

Both cases concern jurisdiction. Bentancur may have been away in Uruguay, but he made the comments in his free time, so he fell under the FA’s responsibility since he plays in England.

Fernandez’s comments came after Argentina won the Copa America, which meant it was under CONMEBOL and FIFA by extension.

Will Enzo Fernandez be punished?

FIFA released a statement acknowledging the comments and, at the time of writing, the matter remained under investigation. Given that this happened while he was on international duty, if Fernandez were banned it is highly likely that it would only apply to Argentina’s matches.

Which matches will Rodrigo Bentancur miss?

His fellow South American is not so lucky. Bentancur’s seven-game start begins this weekend when Spurs take on City, and he won’t be available until after Christmas. He will miss important matches against City, LiverpoolChelsea and the Carabao Cup quarter-final match against Manchester United.

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However, he will be available for selection in the Europa League.

Cause of death of footballer found in swimming pool

TUKO.co.ke has also already reported on the cause of death of George Baldock.

The former Sheffield United midfielder was found lifeless in his swimming pool after his wife raised the alarm.

Source: TUKO.co.ke