Ange Postecoglou says Rodrigo Bentancur should be given chance to learn from his mistake

Ange Postecoglou has called for 'understanding' and defended Tottenham's response to Rodrigo Bentancur's seven-game ban for a racial slur.

Bentancur has been sanctioned over comments he made in an interview with Uruguayan TV in June about Spurs captain Heung-Min Son.

The 27-year-old was asked to show the shirt of a Spurs player and replied: "Sonny's? It could be Sonny's cousin too as they all look the same."

The Football Association also fined Bentancur £100,000 and he will undertake an FA education course.

Spurs, who have appealed the ban, said in a statement that they "accept the guilty finding" against Bentancur, but "believe the subsequent sanction is severe".

Bentancur's ban is only one game above the standard minimum that can be applied for misconduct where discriminatory behaviour or language in a TV interview is an aggravating factor.

When asked whether Tottenham have taken the incident seriously enough, Postecoglou responded: "I get that people want to burn people at the stake these days but if you want real education and progress, understanding that when someone makes a mistake and pays the penalty, part of that process is education and treating it in a way that is the way forward.

"Whether it's Rodrigo or anyone else, I'm old enough, I've made bigger mistakes than that mate but I've been able to learn from them and it's made me a better human being because of that."

He added: "I've said all along he's made a mistake and we've accepted he's made a mistake. We will accept whatever penalty comes our way - we believe the first one was a little bit harsh so we've appealed that. That's our right. If you look at the punishment it's at the low end of the scale so people who have had all the information have adjudicated it that way.

"It is worth it as that's why appeals are there. We're not going outside the jurisdiction. Our view is that we thought it was harsh and should have been the minimum - if it's deemed not then we accept that. We're not going to accept something if it's not the right thing in terms of our processes.

"Internally we're helping Rodrigo through the process to understand the ramifications of making such a mistake and that's how you make progress. Is it a daily topic? No, as there's lot of other things going on. We're not pretending it didn't happen, it did happen and the appropriate people are dealing with that and we've dealt with it within the four walls of our dressing room."

Postecoglou's latest comments come a day after he described Bentancur as an "outstanding person who made a mistake" in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News.

While an apology from Bentancur was swiftly forthcoming, due to this being an "aggravated breach", an independent regulatory commission panel were required to either uphold the FA charge or dismiss the case.

Son said he and Bentancur remained "brothers" and "nothing had changed" after the Uruguayan immediately apologised to him, admitting he had "made a mistake".

Samuel Okafor, Kick It Out chief executive officer, speaking to Sky Sports News about the decision to hold Bentancur accountable for using a racial slur, said: "We need to work really hard to change the culture of football and make it so everyone can feel included. We've been driving for greater accountability but also for further education. We've seen a year on year increase on reports targeting Asian players. It's important we take things like this seriously despite it being resolved between the players.

"Not only do you need to see the bans and the fines, but to change culture you also need to ensure that players and fans get the right level of education."

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