Spurs’ bid to reduce Bentancur ban fails as Cunha targets Wolves close-quarters | Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham’s appeal to reduce Rodrigo Bentancur’s seven-match ban – over comments he made about team-mate Son Heung-min – has been rejected.

The Uruguay midfielder was suspended by an independent commission on November 18 and two days later Spurs indicated they would appeal. On Tuesday, the Football Association confirmed that an appeal panel had rejected Tottenham’s challenge to that sanction.

“This appeal was dismissed following a hearing and the seven-match suspension remains as ordered by the regulatory commission,” the governing body said in a statement.

Bentancur was charged with misconduct in September after a television interview he gave in his home country in June in which the reference to Son’s race made it a serious offence. The standard minimum ban where such a breach is established is six games, but Spurs said they felt the sanction was “severe” as they confirmed their intention to appeal.

Asked to show a Spurs player’s shirt during an interview, Bentancur replied: “Sonny’s? It could also be Sonny’s cousin as they all look the same.” Bentancur apologized on Instagram to Son for his remarks, and Son accepted that apology in a statement on the same platform.

“I have spoken to Lolo (Bentancur). He made a mistake, he knows it and has apologised,” said the South Korea captain. “Lolo would not mean to ever intentionally say anything offensive. We are brothers and nothing has changed at all. We are past this, we are united and we will be together again in pre-season to fight for our club as one.” Bentancur was also fined £100,000.

The original panel said it felt the breach fell “towards the lower end of the (sanctioning) guideline range, but not the lowest point”. It added: “Cases less serious than this can easily be imagined but are nevertheless subject to the minimum six-match suspension.”

The panel said it should have been “reasonably foreseeable” to Bentancur that the remarks would be widely distributed via social media, but took into account in mitigation his sincere apology and his previous clean disciplinary record. The appeal board’s written reasons for rejecting Spurs’ challenge have not yet been published.

Kick It Out said in a statement: “Kick It Out received more reports about Tottenham’s decision to appeal the discrimination sanction for Rodrigo Bentancur than the original incident itself. Many of the reports from the East and South East Asian community and elsewhere told us how angry and disappointed they were with the club’s actions and how it prolonged the pain of those affected by the original incident.

“We know this has been an upsetting episode for many fans and hope the club will now reflect on its decision and how it can seek to engage with the community. The number of reports to Kick It Out over recent seasons shows that more education is needed to highlight East and South East Asian racism in football and we would encourage the clubs to tackle this in the same way as other forms of discrimination.We await the written reasons for the rejection of the appeal with great interest.”

Meanwhile, Wolves striker Matheus Cunha has been charged by the Football Association for his part in the ugly scenes at the end of the defeat to Ipswich on Saturday. Cunha was seen confronting members of Ipswich’s security team after his side slumped to a last-gasp defeat at Molinuex. If found guilty, Cunha, who has been Wolves’ best player this season, could face a suspension.

His team-mate Rayan Aït-Nouri was also sent off after the full-time whistle as tempers flared after Jack Taylor’s winner deep into injury time. The defeat saw Gary O’Neil lose his job as head coach, with former Porto manager Vitor Pereira expected to be appointed as his replacement within the next 48 hours.

An FA statement read: “Matheus Cunha has been charged with misconduct following the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Ipswich Town on Saturday, December 14. The striker allegedly acted inappropriately after the final whistle. He has until Thursday, December 19 to to come up with an answer.”