Tottenham appeal Rodrigo Bentancur's seven-match ban for racist remark about Son Heung-min with Premier League rivals 'shocked' by final decision

Bentancur was punished by the Football Association after suggesting in an interview that Spurs team-mate Son looked indistinguishable from other South Koreans. The Uruguay international apologised for his comments, but he's deemed to have breached FA Rule E3 - acting in "an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute". He has received a seven-match ban, been fined £100,000, and been instructed to attend an educational course.

Spurs accept the guilty verdict, but have challenged the length of the FA's ban, according to The Athletic. The governing body applies a minimum six-game ban for racist abuse, but as Bentancur's case was considered to be an "aggravated breach" he received an extra match. The Telegraph believe it's unlikely the ban will be reduced to fewer than six games.

The Telegraph's report also claims that Tottenham's Premier League rivals are shocked by the severity of the ban, as well as the decision-making process, and believe they have been made an example of. The FA didn't investigate comments made by Enzo Fernandez and Rodri while on international duty in the summer, while former Manchester United forward Edinson Cavani received a three-match ban for using the term "negrito" in a social media post in 2020.

Fernandez escaped an FA investigation despite being filmed chanting racist and homophobic slurs about the France team while away on international duty with Argentina. The FA believes the incident, which happened during the Copa America, falls under FIFA's jurisdiction, not their own.

If Bentancur's seven-match ban remains, he will miss league games against Manchester City, Fulham, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Southampton and Liverpool, and a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie with Manchester United on December 19.