Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been given a seven-match domestic ban by the Football Association for using a racial slur about team-mate Son Heung-min.
Bentancur, who has also been fined £100,000, was charged by the FA in September after comments made while appearing on TV in his home country of Uruguay in June.
“Rodrigo Bentancur denied this charge, but the independent regulatory commission found it to be proven and imposed his sanctions following a hearing,” said an FA statement.
The 27-year-old will not return to domestic action until 26 December, missing Premier League matches against Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, among others, plus Spurs’ League Cup quarter-final against Manchester United.
He will still be available for Tottenham’s Europa League matches.
When charging the Uruguay international the FA said it was “an alleged breach of FA rule E3 for misconduct in relation to a media interview”.
The FA said this constituted an “aggravated breach… as it included a reference, whether express or implied, to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin”.
Bentancur apologised to Son, who said he would “not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive”.
In the media interview in question, asked by a presenter for a Tottenham shirt, Bentancur replied: “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”
He later apologised on social media and said his comments were a “very bad joke”.
Bentancur has played 15 times for Tottenham this season and scored his first goal of the campaign in a defeat by Ipswich on 11 November.
The incident involving Bentancur happened in his own time and so, as he plays in England, fell under the jurisdiction of the FA – unlike the situation involving Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
Fernandez was on international duty when he posted a video – which the French Football Federation (FFF) said included an alleged “racist and discriminatory” chant – of Argentina celebrating winning the Copa America, and is being investigated by world governing body Fifa.
