“We’re brothers and nothing has changed” - Tottenham star Son Heung-min responds to Rodrigo Bentancur’s racial slur and eventual apology
Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son Heung-min has accepted teammate Rodrigo Bentancur's apology following a racist comment from the latter. Son claimed that Bentancur did not intend to make an offensive comment, adding that nothing had changed between them.
The South Korea international broke his silence on the issue by making a post on social media to put the matter to an end. He added that he was now looking forward to working together at the club soon and wrote:
"I've spoken to Lolo. He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologised. Lolo would not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive. We are brothers and nothing has changed at all. We're past this, we're united, and we will be back together in pre-season to fight for our club as one."
Bentancur also issued an apology earlier this week, writing on Instagram:
"Sony brother! I apologise to you for what happened, it was just a very bad joke! You know [that] I love you and I would never disrespect you or hurt you or anyone else! I love you brother!"
Notably, a Uruguayan journalist asked Bentancur for a Son South Korea jersey. The midfielder responded with, "Son or his cousins?" before adding, "they all look the same," which understandably did not go down well with the fans.
Tottenham release statement on Son-Bentancur issue
Tottenham welcomed the apology from Rodrigo Bentancur and pointed out that Son Heung-min was keen on putting an end to the issue straightaway. They noted that the midfielder would attend counselling sessions to ensure such incidents do not happen in the future.
Their statement read:
"Following a comment from Rodrigo Bentancur in an interview video clip and the player's subsequent public apology, the club has been providing assistance in ensuring a positive outcome on the matter. This will include further education for all players in line with our diversity, equality and inclusion objectives.
"We fully support that our captain Sonny feels that he can draw a line under the incident and that the team can focus on the new season ahead. We are extremely proud of our diverse, global fanbase and playing squads. Discrimination of any kind has no place at our Club, within our game or within wider society."
Tottenham's Rodrigo Bentancur is currently with the Uruguayan side as they gear up for Copa America.