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Tottenham Hotspur blow as Rodrigo Bentancur charged by the FA over Son Heung-min comments days before Arsenal game

Tottenham Hotspur host Arsenal on Sunday when Premier League action resumes and they have been dealt another blow amid their current injury woes.

Uruguay international midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been charged by the FA over his comments on teammate Son Heung-min during the Copa America in the summer, and he now has until September 19 to respond to the charge.

The Spurs star could face a ban or receive a fine for the charge, but he will be able to face Arsenal this weekend in a huge boost for manager Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham could be without Yves Bissouma, Dominic Solanke, Richarlison and Micky van de Ven for the North London derby against the Gunners, and being without Bentancur would have been another huge blow.

The 27-year-old has featured in two of their Premier League games this term and Spurs will need him against Arsenal, especially if Bissouma is unable to quickly recover from the knock he sustained while playing for Mali during their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Eswatini on Tuesday night.

While Bentancur would be available for selection against Arsenal, the news could leave him very worried and it could affect his performances.

The Spurs star attempted a joke when asked by a reporter for a shirt from one of his teammates at the North London club.

The journalist had asked him if he could get him the shirt from the ‘Korean’, to which Bentancur asked “Sonny?” and the journalist said “Or any other champion?”.

Bentancur replied: “Or any cousin of Sonny, they all look more or less the same!”

The comment was taken as a racial slur and it sparked outrage throughout the South Korean community.

Kick It Out received a significant number of reports over the comments, and while Bentancur has cleared the air and apologised, the FA have charged him with an alleged breach of FA Rule E3 for misconduct in relation to a media interview.

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