Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur of Tottenham Hotspur has been handed a seven-match suspension and a fine of £100,000 ($126,000) for making a racist comment about his teammate Heung-min Son.

In an interview this summer, the journalist asked Bentancur to pass him a shirt from his Korean teammate, to which the player responded, "Sonny?" The interviewer then replied, "Or any other champion?" and Bentancur said, "Or any cousin of Sonny, they all look the same."

This comment violated FA regulations by referencing the nationality, race, or ethnicity of another person.

Bentancur later apologized for the controversy, which was condemned by anti-racism organizations in England, such as "Kick it Out."

"I would like to write to all the fans about the interview in which I spoke about Son. I have spoken with him, and logically, given our friendship, he understands it was an unfortunate misunderstanding. Everything has been clarified and resolved with my friend. If anyone was offended by my words, I would like to offer my sincerest apologies, but I would also like to say that I have never referred to anyone else, only to Son, and for that reason, I never intended to offend anyone, directly or indirectly," Bentancur wrote on his social media.

Son confirmed he had spoken with Bentancur and that the Uruguayan "understands he made a mistake" and apologized for it. "I didn't intend to say anything offensive," Son added. "We are brothers, and nothing has changed."

The English FA confirmed that Bentancur denied the accusation, but an independent commission found him guilty of making a "serious breach" by referencing the nationality or ethnicity of a teammate.

The FA has strict rules regarding such comments and has previously sanctioned Edinson Cavani for calling a friend "negrito" in an Instagram post and Bernardo Silva for comparing Benjamin Mendy to a "conguito."

Bentancur received a three-match ban, a $126,000 fine, and must complete a reeducation course, while Silva missed one match and was fined $60,000.

However, Argentine Alejandro Garnacho was not sanctioned last season after using a gorilla emoji alongside a photo of his teammate André Onana in a social media post.