Rodrigo Bentancur (27, Tottenham Hotspur) collapsed on the ground after suffering a traumatic head injury. He lost consciousness for a while and was carried off on a stretcher with his respiratory system full. However, he recovered quickly after first aid and is now stabilizing.
According to BBC, the British public broadcaster, Manager Engie Postecoglou said on Tuesday (Korea time), “He regained consciousness and communicated. It was a head injury. We have to leave it to the medical team, but we are conscious and communicating. We will carefully check his condition.”
Tottenham faced Leicester City at the opening match of the English Premier League in the 2024-25 season at King Power Stadium in Leicester, the U.K. He conducted intensive physical training and team tactical training from the pre-season, and boosted his confidence in sparring with strong teams including Bayern Munich.
Postecoglou formed a combination of midfielder James Maddison and Pape Sarr at the center of Bentancourt. In the front, freshman Dominic Solanke played in the No. 9 position, while Son Heung-min played in the left side, which had been tempered since the pre-season in Asia.
Bentancourt couldn’t participate in all of her pre-season events. She played for Uruguay in the CONMEBOL Copa America after the FIFA A-match in June. Uruguay advanced to the semifinals of the Copa America, but her team Tottenham gave Bentancourt a long vacation to recover from her fatigue.
However, Bentancourt experienced racial discrimination just ahead of the Copa America. Appearing on Uruguay’s media “For La Camisetta,” the host asked, “I have Bentancourt’s uniform. Can you give me another Korean player’s uniform?” Then, he smiled and said, “What about his cousin’s uniform? They all look the same anyway.”
It was clearly racist as it meant that Asians looked exactly the same with their small eyes. The video spread all over the world in a negative sense, and Bentancourt, who was aware of the situation, posted a message saying, “I apologize for what happened on the show. It was a really bad joke. You know I really like you Son Heung-min and I didn’t mean to hurt you or disrespect others. I love you Son Heung-min.”
The controversy did not cool down after Bentancourt’s apology. In the U.K., Aresdier Gold, a Tottenham reporter for Football London, said, “Bentancourt made a terrible joke on Son Heung-min. It was a stupid remark, and many soccer fans were angry. It was not something that Son could have heard from his teammates.” 스포츠토토
Korean soccer fans rushed to Bentancourt’s social networking service to criticize her. Some of her fans mocked her by referring to her daughter. On the other hand, Uruguayan soccer fans countered by saying, “It’s our way of humor. It’s all just a joke. There is no bad intention at all in Uruguay.”
Finally, Kick It Out, an international human rights charity, said, “We are aware that Bentancourt has admitted his mistake. However, Bentancourt’s remarks are considered to have a significant impact on East Asian and Asian communities. We will continue to work to address this issue in the next season. If you see or hear anything about racism, please report it to us.” He also complained to Tottenham and its Premier League secretariat.
Son Heung-min, who had remained silent on the issue of racial discrimination, reacted by breaking his silence. Son said, “We received an apology from Bentancourt and we are brothers. Nothing has changed. We will work hard as a team for Tottenham in the pre-season.” Tottenham, who remained silent, also said, “Our team will do its best to ensure a positive outcome for Bentancourt’s remarks and apology. This includes additional education on the value of diversity, equality and inclusion for all players in the club. We have no place in our club, in our stadium, and even in society of any kind of discrimination.”
Afterwards, he played in the opening game of the Premier League. He played as much as he could because it was Bentancourt who returned after recovering from quite a long injury last season. Tottenham scored the first goal in the first half through a collaboration between Madison and Porro after Son Heung-min’s starting point play.
However, in the second half, Leicester City’s counterattack was lifted and veteran striker Jamie Vardy’s toes, which were threatening for a moment, got hot. In the 12th minute of the second half, J.B. Vardy turned a cross from the right side with his head, shaking Tottenham’s net.
Tottenham couldn’t overcome an unexpected scenario. On top of that, Bentancourt ended up leaving the club due to a fatal injury. During the competition for the ball, the team strongly collided and couldn’t stand up for a while. Local media in the Premier League also judged that it was a serious injury, and thus shifted the reaction of the coach to the stand instead of the player’s situation.
Son looked worried at Bentancourt. The medical staff, who was urgently dispatched, gave Bentancourt a respiratory tract and tried their best to recover consciousness. She got up early but was not on a level to run, and exited the ground on a stretcher with a respiratory tract on.
Postecoglou said after the game that he is back in consciousness and is recovering. However, as he is concerned about head injury, it is uncertain whether he will be able to immediately play in the next round.
Meanwhile, Tottenham faced challenges from the opening match of the Premier League. Despite scoring the first goal in the first half, the team lost a point in the second half, resulting in a 1-1 draw and only one point. At the match against Leicester City, the team showed overwhelming indicators with 15 shots (7 shots), 70 percent of possession (30 percent in Leicester), and 13 corner kicks (2 in Leicester), but failed to win.