Ange Postecoglou says Spurs will support Bentancur through ban
Ange Postecoglou praises Rodrigo Bentancur for his character and says the Spurs star is aware that he has made a mistake. The midfielder was hit with a heavy punishment by the FA this week.
Tottenham have appealed the FA’s decision
The FA’s independent regulatory commission hit Bentancur with a seven-match suspension and fined him £100,000 for the racially insensitive comment he made about Heung-min Son back in the summer.
Tottenham confirmed on Wednesday that while they accepted the verdict, they have appealed the length of the Uruguayan’s ban.
It has been reported that even if Spurs’ appeal is successful, the suspension is unlikely to be reduced to below six matches (The Telegraph).
Ange Postecoglou breaks silence on Bentancur verdict
Postecoglou acknowledged that Bentancur will be a big miss for the Spurs side, admitting that the midfielder has ‘gone up a level’ over recent weeks.
He confessed that the verdict did not come as a surprise to the club, revealing that Tottenham knew that a harsh sanction was coming.
However, the Tottenham boss came to Bentancur‘s defence, referring to the 27-year-old as an ‘outstanding person’ and remarking that the club will support him through this situation.
Postecoglou said: “It’s obviously disappointing because he’s been great for us this year. He’s been one of the ones whose football has gone up a level. But we understood this was coming and there was an acceptance by everyone what the penalties were.
“I fully support the club’s decision to appeal the severity of the ban but ultimately we know it’s going to be for X number of games. We’ll work with Rodrigo through that and make sure that within that time he has all our support in all the right ways, so when he’s available again he’ll be ready to go.”
Watch what Postecoglou told Sky Sports:
A harsh lesson for Bentancur
Irrespective of whether Bentancur meant to offend anyone, he should have known better than to make such comments as a public figure.
While the punishment handed to the midfielder might be harsh, given the precedent that has been set for racially insensitive comments in the past, this will be a learning experience for the former Juventus man.
It also serves as a warning to other footballers across the Premier League about the kind of things they say on public platforms.
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