The manager played down the racial abuse of his team's captain.
Enze Postecoglou was asked about Rodrigo Bentancur's racist incident after Tottenham's preseason match against Hearts. According to Football London, he said, “The important thing in the whole process is Son Heung-min. We will go by his reaction and his decision. I'm sure there will be a follow-up, but the most important thing is Son Heung-min and we have to follow his decision.”
Bentancur appeared on a program in Uruguay last month, and when the host asked for Son's jersey, he said, “Or his cousin's jersey, because they (Asians) almost all look the same.” It was an overtly racist comment pointing out the similarities between Asians.
As the story unfolded, Bentancur posted two apologies. First, as an apology that would disappear after 24 hours, and then as a post as his last name became controversial. Bentancur apologized, saying he didn't mean to insult or harm anyone. Son Heung-min also took to social media to say that he had spoken to Bentancur and confirmed that he had no intention of doing so.
Tottenham also released a statement. “Following Mr. Bentancur's comments and his subsequent public apology, Tottenham has offered support to help deliver a positive outcome. This will include additional training for all players in line with our goals of diversity, equality and inclusion. We fully support captain Son Heung-min as he feels he can bring closure to this incident and focus on the new season ahead. We are very 사설 토토사이트 proud of our diverse and global fan base and squad. Discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated.”
There was no internal disciplinary action, simply a mention of training, and no action was taken against Bentancur. The possibility of an FA investigation and possible discipline, such as a suspension, was discussed, but there was no follow-up news.
A racial slur directed at a teammate, the captain, and a club that doesn't even discipline internally, and a manager who avoids direct comment. This is Tottenham. Of course, Bentancur is a Spurs player, so we understand that he can get away with it, but the club should have at least taken a hard line on racism, which is a sensitive issue these days.
Tottenham didn't issue a statement for a while after Bentancur's comments. Instead, the club posted a photo of Bentancur in a Uruguay jersey on social media, which was met with backlash from fans. Postecoglou could have said that Bentancur's comments were wrong, but he simply avoided it.
This is unlike Chelsea, who recently responded to a racist incident involving Argentina star Enzo Fernandez, who won the Copa America 2024. During a private social media live broadcast celebrating Argentina's victory, Enzo sang a song that appeared to insult the French. Chelsea quickly responded with a statement announcing internal disciplinary action.
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