Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, Rodrigo Bentancur has been slapped with a seven-match ban and a £100,000 fine by the English Football Association (FA) for using discriminatory language during an interview on Uruguayan television in June.

The sanction, announced by the FA on Monday, stems from comments Bentancur made in an appearance on the show “Por La Camiseta,” where he jokingly said that all South Korean people “look the same.”

The remarks, directed at his Spurs teammate Son Heung-Min, were deemed to be an aggravated breach of FA rules due to their racial and national undertones.

The ban will only apply to domestic competitions, meaning Bentancur can still feature for Tottenham in European matches, including their upcoming Europa League fixtures against Roma and Rangers.

However, he will miss important Premier League clashes with Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool, as well as a Carabao Cup quarterfinal against Manchester United.

The FA said: “It was further alleged that this constitutes an ‘aggravated breach’… as it included a reference — whether express or implied — to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin.”

The 27 year-old initially denied the charge but has the option to appeal the FA’s decision.

As part of his punishment, Bentancur is also required to attend educational sessions addressing issues of race and discrimination, which must be completed by March 2025.

Bentancur apologized for the comment on social media shortly after it was made, calling it a “very bad joke.”

His apology was accepted by Son, who later publicly stated, “He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologized. Lolo [Bentancur] 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 preseason to fight for our club as one.”