Tottenham Hotspur (England) teammate Rodrigo Bentancur, who made a racist joke to Son Heung-min, has posted a second apology on social media.
“I spoke to Son Heung-min and, given our deep friendship, he understood that the incident was just an unfortunate misunderstanding,” Bentancur said on Instagram on Feb. 22 (KST).
“I sincerely apologize to anyone who was hurt by my comments in the media,” he wrote, adding, “I want you to know that I never mentioned anyone else.”
“I didn’t mean to offend anyone directly or indirectly,” he continued, reiterating that he has “resolved everything with my friend (Son Heung-min).”
Earlier, Uruguayan Bentancur sparked controversy when he made comments about Son Heung-min during an appearance on his country’s television program, for which he publicly apologized.
When asked by the host to “get Son Heung-min’s jersey,” Bentancur replied, “I could bring him his cousin’s jersey and he wouldn’t recognize it. He looks the same as Son Heung-min and his cousin,” he said.
This was a racist remark that revealed the perception that all Asians look the same.
Fans criticized the comment, and Bentancur immediately apologized to Son via social media.
He wrote, “Sonny, I apologize for what happened. What I said was a bad joke, you know how much I love you, and I never meant to disrespect or hurt you,” he wrote.
Son Heung-min also responded on social media, saying, “I’m sure Bentancur didn’t mean to be offensive,” but there were local reports that the player could be disciplined by the English Football Association (FA).
“Bentancur could face disciplinary action from the FA,” the British newspaper The Times reported on Nov. 21. The FA is aware of the incident and is investigating to determine whether disciplinary action should be taken,” the newspaper said.
The FA has a history of disciplining racist behavior on the pitch, as well as incidents of racism that originate in off-field situations, such as this one.
In 2019, Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva was handed a one-match suspension and fined £50,000 ($88,000) for comparing teammate Vincent Mendy’s skin color on social media to a character from a Spanish snack brand with dark brown skin.
Bentancur is a member of Uruguay’s national team at the Copa America 2024 in the United States, where they are preparing for their first group game against Panama. 메이저사이트