Son Heung-min reveals Rodrigo Bentancur ‘almost cried’ when apologising for racist joke as he breaks silence on Tottenham team-mate's 'mistake' after FA charge

The 27-year-old said South Korean international Son and his cousins "all look the same" on Uruguayan TV earlier this year - something he swiftly apologised for, stressing it was a "a joke in bad taste" on social media. The midfielder was then charged by the Football Association for an alleged breach of its misconduct rules this month and now, Son has commented on his team-mate's "mistake".

The 32-year-old said, via The Athletic: “The process is with the FA and that’s why I can’t say much about it, but I love Rodrigo. I repeat: I love him, I love him. We had a lot of good memories, we started playing together when he joined. He apologised straight afterwards, you know, when we had a holiday. I was at home and I didn’t even realise what was going on. He just sent me a long text message that you could feel was coming from his heart. Afterwards, when he came back to the training ground for pre season, he just like felt really sorry and almost like cried when he apologised publicly and also personally as well. It felt like he feels really sorry.

“We’re all human and make mistakes, and we learn from it. But I love Rodrigo. I love him, I love him. You know, he made a mistake. But I have no problem at all. At all. We just move on as team-mates and friends and brothers, move on together. I hope. We just have to wait for the FA’s process. I can’t say much. But one thing I can say is that I love Rodrigo. There is nothing more to say.”

While Son accepted Bentancur's apology, the Uruguayan - who has been a regular in the team's starting XI this season - could face a lengthy ban if found guilty. The report adds that the Spurs star could receive a six to 12 match suspension, which would be a big loss for Ange Postecoglou's men on the pitch.

While Tottenham await a verdict on Bentancur's case, his side take on Qarabag FK in their Europa League opener on Thursday night, before travelling to Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.