Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur went viral recently for making a racist joke about Koreans. Of course, this was ironic, considering that his teammate is South Korean superstar Son Heung-Min.
Bentancur apologized to Son on Instagram Friday, via ESPN.
“Sony brother! I apologise to you for what happened, it was just a very bad joke!” Bentancur said. “You know [that] I love you and I would never disrespect you or hurt you or anyone else! I love you brother!”
Bentancur had previously hopped on the Uruguayan TV show Por la Camiseta. After the broadcast asked him for a Hotspur jersey, he replied “Sonny's?” and said, “it could be his cousin too, more or less they are all the same.”
Son hasn't yet responded publicly. The two won't share the pitch again until Tottenham's preseason tour in July. The squad will travel to Japan and South Korea, as it's playing Japanese side Vissel Kobe in Tokyo on July 26th and Bayern Munich in Seoul on August 2nd.
For now, Bentancur will continue preparing for the Copa America, as he's included in Uruguay's lineup.
With racism in football constantly a hot-button topic, this is the latest of a long line of recent incidents of the sort. While Bentancur may not have had ill intentions in this case, how will the global game ever get past this hurdle?
Tottenham should publicly acknowledge the incident
In today's climate, it would be wise for the Spurs to release a statement about the matter, even if it is light in comparison to other incidents. With racism still so rampant in the sport, this is an opportunity for the organization to take responsibility for its players and assure fans that it's on the right side of the fight against prejudice.
Nearly all non-white players have been subject to some type of abuse during their careers at some point. Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. was abused so badly by Valencia fans during a La Liga game that they were recently sentenced to prison. The superstar winger released a powerful statement, via X.
“Many asked me to ignore it, many others said that my fight was in vain and that I should just ‘play football,'” Vinicius wrote, via translation. “But, as I've always said, I'm not a victim of racism. I am a tormentor of racists. This first criminal conviction in the history of Spain is not for me. It's for all black people. May other racists be afraid, ashamed and hide in the shadows. Otherwise, I'll be here to collect. Thank you to La Liga and Real Madrid for helping with this historic conviction. More to come…”
While Vinicius and Son may be of different races and ethnicities, the point still stands. Even racist jokes have an underlying tone, borne out of ignorance and non-acceptance of certain cultures. Bentancur doesn't necessarily deserve punishment, but a stern warning would suffice.
Meanwhile, Son will continue enjoying his time off, as the AFC Asian Cup concluded back in February. Qatar defended its crown with a 3-1 victory over Jordan in the final.
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