Tottenham forward Son Heung-min has said team-mate Rodrigo Bentancur has apologised to him for using a racial slur.
Appearing on Uruguayan TV, Bentancur was asked by a presenter for a Tottenham shirt, before replying: “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”
Bentancur later apologised on Instagram and said his comments were a “very bad joke”.
“I’ve spoken to Lolo,” said Son. “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.”
Anti-discrimination charity Kick it Out said it had received a “significant number” of complaints about Bentancur’s racial slur, which highlighted “a wider issue that heavily affects East Asian and wider communities”.
Tottenham said they had “been providing assistance in ensuring a positive outcome on the matter” between their two players.
“This will include further education for all players in line with our diversity, equality and inclusion objectives,” added Spurs in a statement.
“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.”
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