Tottenham manager's shocking remarks, 'Racism Victim'Not Son Heung-min'Hurt' Bentancourt's strong defense..."Everyone makes mistakes. Bentancourt is a good man, so you have to give him a chance to atone for it."

Sep 14, 2024

Tottenham manager Enze Postecoglou was in a hurry to cover up Rodrigo Bentancourt, the perpetrator, not Son Heung-min, the victim of racism. Bentancourt was indicted by the England Football Association in June for racist remarks against Son Heung-min.

Tottenham Hotspur pre-match press conference was held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 30th. Tottenham manager Enze Postecoglou and Son Heung-min are posing. Sangam = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com / 2024.07.30/

Tottenham manager Enze Postecoglou was busy protecting Rodrigo Bentancourt.

Tottenham will play Arsenal in the fourth round of the English Premier League (EPL) from 2024 to 2025 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, at 10 p.m. on the 15th (Korea time). Tottenham, which is in 10th place, can rise to a higher position than Arsenal in 4th place depending on the result of the game.

Ahead of this game, big news was delivered to Tottenham. The England Football Association has indicted Bentancourt, who has been controversial for making racist comments to Son Heung-min.

The BBC reported on the 12th that Tottenham midfielder Bentancourt was indicted by the England Football Association on charges of racist slurs against his teammate Son Heung-min. 'The FA said Bentancourt was accused of violating FA regulation E3 for misconduct related to media interviews'

In a statement, the English Football Association said there were allegations that Bentancourt acted in an inappropriate manner, used abusive or offensive language, or caused disgrace. Whether explicit or unintentional, it is suspected of violating because it contained references to nationality, race or ethnic origin.' Players who violate English Football Association Regulation E3 could be suspended from 6 to 12 games.

After it was revealed that Bentancourt had been charged by the English Football Association, Postecoglou defended Bentancourt at a press conference. He did not defend Bentancourt after covering up the victim Son Heung-min first.

He "It's not unexpected from our point of view. We know the FA will look at the case and we need to let that process play out for now. We'll see what they come up with," he said first.

"Son Heung-min and Bentancourt talked about the incident separately. I think both players understand and respect each other's positions and Bentancur has already apologized for his comments and Son Heung-min also apologized and accepted that one of his team members close to him made a mistake"There is no problem between the two," he said.

Coach Postecoglou then said, `We all live in the same world, whether it's football players or anyone on the street. We all live in the same world and understand the consequences of our actions regardless of who we represent. Ultimately, we represent ourselves as people and continue to strive as human beings. We always try to do the right thing, but that's not always the case, and we all make mistakes" he began defending Bentancur's position.

Postecoglou said Bentancourt should not be punished for making racist remarks, but should be given an opportunity to atone and learn. "I've said before that it's an opportunity for people to atone and learn." Because if we're talking about creating a society that understands and tolerates everything, we have to show that to people who have made mistakes like Bentancourt" he insisted.

Tottenham Hotspur pre-match press conference was held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 30th. Tottenham manager Enze Postecoglou is interviewing. Sangam = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com / 2024.07.30/

Postecoglou continued "We spend every day with Bentancur and understand what he is like. I understand Bentancur made a big mistake despite being a great guy and a fantastic teammate. We know Bentancourt much better than most"I sided with Bentancourt.

Finally, he added "In time Bentancur must be punished, but we must give him a chance to atone, to learn from him, and hope that others can learn from this case as well."

It is shocking that there was no mention of Son Heung-min, who was hurt while advocating for Bentancourt. There were no remarks touching Son Heung-min's wounds. There is no choice but to be disappointed in that he was busy defending the perpetrator rather than covering the victim's heart.

It was last summer that Bentancur made racist remarks to Son Heung-min. Ahead of Copa America 2024, Bentancur appeared on a Uruguayan broadcaster. During the interview, the MC asked Bentancur to accept the Korean player's uniform.

Then Bentancourt is "Son Heung-min's uniform?After answering ", is Son Heung-min's cousin's uniform okay. Son Heung-min and his family all look the same anyway." It was a clear racist remark targeting Asians.

Bentancourt's racist comments against Son Heung-min, the team's captain, quickly spread. Bentancourt immediately left a message of apology as it began to become a huge controversy even among Tottenham fans.

On his personal SNS account, he apologized for what happened. It was just a really bad joke. I really like you. I know you don't respect you or you tried to hurt yourself and others. I love you Son Heung-min."

It was good that Bentancourt delivered an apology message quickly, but the way was under fire. Bentancur apologized to Son Heung-min in a post that disappeared 24 hours after posting. Son Heung-min's nickname 'SONNY' was written as 'SONY', which led to criticism that it was an insincere apology.

Even if Bentancourt really spoke without knowing, it was subject to disciplinary action. In the past, Bernardu Silva posted a black character doll while joking with his teammate Benjamin Mendy on social media. Mendy also laughed and moved on. Nevertheless, the England Football Association imposed a one-game ban and a fine of 50,000 pounds (about 87.4 million won) for Silva's actions, calling them racist.

Tottenham fans also urged the club to respond quickly, but Tottenham's response was too slow. Tottenham didn't move until a week after the incident. Tottenham even committed the unorthodox act of deleting comments from fans calling for Bentancourt to be disciplined on their official channels..

When Tottenham officially announced the Bentancourt incident, the victim Son Heung-min moved first.First of all, Son Heung-min said on his personal SNS that he talked well with Bentancourt about the incident. "I spoke to Bentancourt. Bentancourt made a mistake, he knew the mistake, and apologized. Bentancourt didn't mean to say anything aggressive. We're brothers, nothing changes. Now it's past and we're still one. We'll meet again in the preseason and fight as a team," he said directly.

When Son Heung-min moved, Tottenham also made a public apology on its official channel "After Bentancourt made a public apology for his remarks, the club has been providing help to produce a positive result on the issue. We will provide additional training to all players on diversity, equality and inclusion. I absolutely think the team can focus on the new season going forward. We are very proud of our diverse and global fan base and squad. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated at our club, at football games, in wider society, it said.

There was no disciplinary action against Bentancur on his own. Bentancourt also issued a second apology. "I finished the interview mentioning Son Heung-min and talked to him. Son Heung-min understood that this incident was just a misunderstanding considering our friendship. We solved the problem"I apologized to Son Heung-min."

I also sincerely apologize to my fans if they were offended by what I said. But I was never referring to other people. I only mentioned Son Heung-min. Therefore, there was no intention of attacking anyone else directly or indirectly. I give everyone a big hug and respect." He explained that it was not a racist remark against Asians.

rlaeotlr2024@sportschosun.com