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Ange Postecoglou has acknowledged Tottenham’s Rodrigo Bentancur made a “big error” when he made an alleged racist remark about captain Son Heung-min, but will give him a chance to learn from his mistake.
Bentancur was charged by the Football Association on Thursday for an alleged breach of FA Rule E3 for misconduct in relation to a media interview.
It relates to a clip from the summer when Bentancur invited the host of the Canal 10 show into his home and when asked to show the shirt of a Spurs player, the Uruguay international made a joke about Son.
Bentancur was alleged to have said: “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”
An apology was forthcoming from Bentancur back in June, but due to this being an “aggravated breach”, if an independent regulatory commission panel uphold the FA charge, he could be suspended for six to 12 domestic matches, the PA news agency understands.
With Bentancur given until Thursday, September 19 to respond, he is free to face Arsenal on Sunday but could be punished with a lengthy ban later this month.
Postecoglou said: “We need to let the process sort of play out now. Rodri is well aware of the ramifications of any outcome of the panel. We will wait and see what they come out with.
“In terms of Sonny and Rodri, they had their discussions about the whole incident and both players understand and respect each others position.
“Rodri has already apologised for what he said and Sonny has accepted that. And accepted the fact that one of his team-mates and a person he is close to has made a mistake.
“We try along the way as human beings to do the right thing all the time, but it doesn’t always happen. We all make mistakes. I’ve said before, for me it is not just about punishment but it is an opportunity for people to atone and to learn.
“If we’re talking about having a society that is understanding and tolerant of everything, we must also show that to people who make mistakes as Rodri has made in this time.
“We also know him very well. A lot better than most because we spend every day with him and we understand the kind of person he is.
“We understand that even though he is a great guy and a fantastic team-mate, he has made a big error this time and he has to take the punishment, but also that we give him the opportunity to atone for it and learn from it.
“Hopefully others learn from it as well.”
