Spurs star facing further ban v Newcastle United after FA rule break - will miss Man Utd & Liverpool

Bentancur has been hit with a seven-game ban after a controversial remark about his Spurs teammate Son Heung Min. In an interview on Uruguayan television, Bentancur suggested all South Korean people ‘look the same’.

On Canal 10, Bentancur was asked to display the shirt of a Spurs player, to which he replied (translated from Spanish): “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”

The 27-year-old quickly apologised and admitted it was ‘a very bad joke’. Bentancur’s apology was seemingly accepted by Son, who expressed his ‘love’ for the midfielder.

“I love him, I love him, there is no problem,” Son said when asked about Bentancur during a press conference.

The Uruguay international was hit by an FA charge back in September for ‘misconduct in relation to a media interview’. An independent regulatory commission panel have now found Bentancur guilty of an ‘aggravated breach’ of the rules and handed him a seven-match domestic ban over the festive period.

It will see Bentancur miss matches against Manchester City, Fulham, Bournemouth, Chelsea and Liverpool in the Premier League as well as Manchester United in the Carabao Cup. He will be able to play in the Europa League matches against Roma and Rangers.

Bentancur will be back available for the match against Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day. Just over a week after that, Spurs host Newcastle United in their first league match of 2025.

While Bentancur’s ban will be up by then, there is still a chance he could miss the match against Newcastle due to suspension. That is because Premier League rules state that any player who picks up five bookings before the 20th match of the league season will be handed a one-match ban.

As things stand, the match will be Spurs’ and Newcastle’s 20th game of the season so any player who picks up their fifth booking of the season in the game prior will be suspended for the match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

With Bentancur on four bookings already this season, he must avoid picking up another booking on his return against Forest or the following match against Wolverhampton Wanderers in order to escape a further ban. Spurs defender Micky van de Ven is also at risk of suspension with four bookings to his name but will likely serve his ban before the Newcastle game.

After the 19th game of the season, the threshold for bookings moves to 10 after 32 games and a two-match ban. A player booked for the fifth time on the 19th game of the season is handed a one-match ban despite the cut-off.

Another player from Spurs at risk of suspension is Dejan Kulusevski, who has three bookings. Yves Bissouma, Brennan Johnson, James Maddison, Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie each have two bookings and would need to pick up another three by the end of the Wolves match in order to be suspended.

Newcastle also have several players at risk of suspension in the coming weeks. Dan Burn will serve his five-yellow suspension next time out against West Ham United while Fabian Schar and Joelinton are just one booking away from a one-match ban.

Lewis Hall and Sandro Tonali have three yellow cards so far this season while Bruno Guimaraes and Sean Longstaff have two.