I only mentioned SON… “I’m truly sorry”
Rodrigo Bentancur posted a second apology after making racist remarks toward Son Heung-min, but this too remains problematic.
Following the first apology, the controversy grows with each official statement.
I don’t know how to properly apologize.
Rodrigo Bentancur finally bowed his head once again due to the growing criticism.
Rodrigo Bentancur posted his apology on his SNS (social networking service) on June 22, 2024.
“I want to communicate with everyone. I sincerely apologize. I spoke with Son Heung-min. Son Heung-min understood that this was an unfortunate misunderstanding considering our deep friendship. I resolved it with Son. But what I did was “I would like to sincerely apologize to anyone who felt offended by my words. I did not intend to offend anyone other than Son Heung-min.”
A day earlier, British media ‘Team Talk’ reported on June 21, 2024, “Bentancur could leave Tottenham in this summer transfer market. Tottenham coach Enze Postekoglou is working on reorganizing the squad this summer.” “We are connected to Galatasaray. They have already met with Bentancur and discussed personal terms, and Uruguayan players Fernando Muslera and Lucas Torreira, who play for Galatasaray, will help recruit Bentancur.”
The fallout from Bentancur’s racist remarks against Son Heung-min appears to be growing.
On June 15, 2024, Bentancur’s misconceptions about Asians came out.
He appeared on the national broadcast program ‘Porla Gami Seta’ in Uruguay, and when asked by the host to “get Son Heung-min’s uniform,” he replied, “If you bring me Son Heung-min’s cousin’s uniform, they won’t know.
“Both Son Heung-min and his cousin look the same,” he replied.
Rodrigo Bentancur’s racist remarks
This is a clear racist remark.
There is a racist perception that all Asians look the same.
Fans immediately went to Bentancur’s social media and criticized him.
Bentancur also recognized the seriousness of the situation.
He quickly posted an apology. “My brother, Sawney! I apologize for what happened. I made a really bad joke. You know how much I love you, right? I never meant it to be disrespectful or hurtful,” he apologized.
However, there was a question mark attached to the apology.
Bentancur left an apology message to Son Heung-min in both English and Spanish on his Instagram.
However, it was posted on an Instagram story that would be deleted after 24 hours, and Son Heung-min’s nickname, SONNY, was spelled incorrectly as SONY.
The FA (English Football Association) is considering disciplinary action against Bentancur.
British media ‘The Times’ reported on June 21, 2024, “The FA is considering disciplinary action against Rodrigo Bentancur for his remarks toward Son Heung-min.
“Based on precedent, a three-game suspension and a fine of 100,000 pounds (approximately 175 million won) could be imposed,” the report said.
The precedent mentioned by ‘The Times’ is the disciplinary action against Edinson Cavani.
Cavani, who was playing for Manchester United in 2021, used the word ‘Negrito’ to a fan cheering for him on social media, which was interpreted as a racist remark, and was suspended for three games and fined 100,000 by the FA. pounds were disposed of.
Cavani explained that he was saying it out of affection rather than racism, but it was not acknowledged.
Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva also made racist comments
The most similar case to Bentancur is Bernardo Silva of Manchester City in 2020.
Silva was banned for one match and fined £50,000 for making racist comments towards his teammate Benjamin Mendy.
At that time, Silva posted Mendy’s childhood photo on social media with the phrase ‘Guess who it is.’
The problem is that a Spanish chocolate brand mascot was added next to it.
The FA interpreted the intention to be racist by comparing the skin color of black people to chocolate.
As the controversy grew, Silva deleted the post and said, “I can’t even play around with my friends these days,” but the FA deemed it racist.
Bentancur, from Uruguay, transferred from Juventus to Tottenham in the middle of the 2021-2022 season.
His position is midfielder and he moves between central and defensive midfielder.
He played 69 games for Tottenham and scored 6 goals.
At the 2022 Qatar World Cup, he met Son Heung-min as an enemy.
At that time, in the round of 32 of the World Cup, Son Heung-min’s Korea and Bentancur’s Uruguay were in the same group.
The game ended in a draw, and the two players showed off their closeness by hugging.
But ignorance took precedence over camaraderie.
Not only domestic but also British media outlets reported in depth about Bentancur’s racism against Son Heung-min.
British media ‘The Sun’ introduced a case where Son Heung-min suffered racial discrimination from a fan during a game against West Ham United and Crystal Palace last season.
At the time, Tottenham issued an official statement and publicly condemned racists.
The English Football Association launched a fact-finding investigation.
A fan who racially discriminated against Son Heung-min during a match against Crystal Palace was banned from the football stadium for three years, required 60 hours of community service, and was fined £1,384 (about 2.43 million won).
Influential foreign media also covered this matter seriously.
Influential foreign media such as global sports media ‘The Athletic’, British media, ‘BBC’, and ‘Mirror’ also covered this matter seriously.
Another British media outlet, ‘Football London’ reporter Alasdear Gold, sharply criticized Bentancur, saying, “Bentancur said something to Son Heung-min that should never have been said. That was really stupid. It’s a truly terrible way of thinking.”
It was said that he even investigated human rights organizations in the UK.
Racism is a sensitive issue not only in the Premier League but also in recent European soccer.
Not long ago, a fan was sentenced to prison in Spain’s La Liga.
Three Valencia fans who racially discriminated against Real Madrid striker Vinicius Jr. were sentenced to eight months in prison.
Tottenham reporter Paul O’Keefe said, “Even if Tottenham intervenes in Bentancur’s racist remarks, there is a question mark over whether they will publicly deal with it.” He added, “Tottenham is not a very diligent club. Now that the season is over, most of Tottenham’s staff have gone on vacation. He also pointed out Tottenham, saying, “We don’t have the right manpower to solve this problem right now.”
Even human rights groups arose.
British media ‘BBC’ said, “The racism charity ‘Kick It Out’ has received many reports of Bentancur’s racist interview with Tottenham teammate Son Heung-min.
Accordingly, ‘Kick It Out’ sent reports on Bentancur’s remarks to the Tottenham club and the relevant authorities.”
Son Heung-min leaves a message to forgive Bentancur
On June 20, 2024, Son Heung-min posted a message saying he would forgive Bentancur, and Tottenham also expressed its position on the club’s official SNS, but fans’ criticism did not easily subside.
This is not just an insult to Son Heung-min personally, but because all Asians feel angry.
Son Heung-min posted on his SNS on the 20th, “I talked to Bentancur. Bentancur made a mistake. Bentancur, who recognized his mistake, apologized to me. Bentancur probably did not say that with aggressive intent. We are still together.” “We are brothers and nothing has changed,” he said. “We will gather again in the upcoming pre-season and fight as ‘one team.’”
Belatedly, Tottenham also announced a public statement through the club’s official SNS.
He promised to provide anti-discrimination training to the entire team, including Bentancur.
Tottenham said, “We are working hard to resolve this issue. We will provide education on diversity, equality, and inclusion to all players. We will fully support captain Son Heung-min so that he can put the controversy behind him and focus on the upcoming new season.” “We are proud of our global fans and players, and there should be no discrimination of any kind in our club and society,” he emphasized.
Son Heung-min embraces his teammate Bentancourt.
The prevailing opinion is that Son Heung-min’s quality as Tottenham captain is visible.
However, the disciplinary action against Bentancur must be carried out separately.
Tottenham is in tears.
There will be a friendly match in Korea against Team K League on July 31, 2024 and Bayern Munich on August 1, 2024.
Ahead of my visit to Korea, I faced the worst fan opinion.
by 안전놀이터
