England defender Jarell Quansah has been banned for two games following his red card in their World Cup round of 16 win over Mexico.
Quansah will miss England’s quarter-final clash with Norway on Saturday and a potential semi-final against either Argentina or Switzerland next week.
Quansah was found to have breached Article 14 of the FIFA Code of Conduct, which states that a player would be banned for two matches for serious foul play.
Quansah started at right-back against Mexico but was shown a straight red in the 54th minute after recklessly sliding into Jesus Gallardo following a VAR check.
Quansah’s suspension leaves Thomas Tuchel with limited options at right back. Reece James has been out since picking up a hamstring injury in England’s second group game against Ghana. Djed Spence was only deemed fit enough to start on the bench in the 3-2 win over Mexico after nursing an injury.
‘I suspect England will let the dust settle before deciding whether to appeal’
Sky Sports News’ football correspondent Rob Dorsett:
“There had been an awful lot of talk from Thomas Tuchel that he might appeal the red card, he thought it was so unfair. It was a strange challenge, you have to say. It was definitely knuckles first, he made contact with the ball, which was the point Tuchel made, but then he followed up on the shin of the Mexican player, who went down in quite a lot of pain.
“We know the laws of the game now; if you endanger the safety of an opponent – whether you take the ball or not – it’s a straight red card. I think that’s why England decided not to appeal it. But we hadn’t made too much of the fact that this could be extended to more than a one-match ban by FIFA.
“It’s been up to their disciplinary committee, who have the jurisdiction, the discretion, to look at the challenge again and decide if it’s worthy of more than the standard one-match ban. It’s pretty clear they’ve done exactly that. They’ve looked at it, decided it’s a dangerous tackle and so his one-match ban has been extended to a two-match ban.
“We knew he would miss the Norway game, but it also means he will miss the semi-final, potentially against Argentina, should England get there, and he will only be available for a potential World Cup final after this, or a third- and fourth-place play-off.
“It will be interesting to see how England react to this because Tuchel and the FA will have heard this news at exactly the same time as we have. Will they appeal the two match ban? I suppose they will have to let the dust settle and digest the information before making a decision.”
Gallagher: Red card was the right decision
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Dermot Gallagher analyzes whether the decision to red Jarell Quansah was justified in the World Cup game against Mexico.
Dermot Gallagher on Sky Sports News:
“I think it’s a red card. If you see it, you know he’s tall. He gets a little touch on the ball, but that’s a bonus. He catches him with the studs halfway up the shin.
“From a referee’s point of view, it’s the worst possible dilemma. We talk about a yellow card being upgraded to a red, but it’s actually gone from no foul to red card, which is the opposite end of the spectrum. That’s what causes a lot of debate as people say the difference is too big.
“But if you actually look at it, it’s a red card. It’s just one that the referee hasn’t recognized on the pitch for whatever reason. You’d expect him to judge at that level, but he hasn’t.
“VAR has indeed recommended a review and a red card is given.”
Could Konsa be drafted in as a right back?
Sky Sports News’ football correspondent Rob Dorsett:
“Right-back is the last place England need a selection headache. We know Reece James has been struggling for two-and-a-half weeks with a hamstring problem. The England doctors have been trying to keep him down, trying desperately to get him back into the game because England are so bereft of the right-back position.
“We know Djed Spence was struggling before the Mexico game and he missed the last training session so he was only able to progress in the latter stages. He looked OK in training yesterday, you have to say, but we’ll see the first 15 minutes. We don’t know how he was and if he participated fully in training after the first 15 minutes.
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Erling Haaland is looking forward to the World Cup match against England, where he will play against players he knows from the Premier League.
“England are lacking at full-back. They only have one left-back in Nico O’Reilly and they have very few options at right-back. Perhaps Tuchel’s only option is to start Ezri Konsa – who has been his first-choice centre-back this tournament – at right-back. If you take him out and stick him on the right, what do you lose in defensive options?
“Especially because he is probably England’s most physical defender – and who will England come up against? Possibly the most physical striker in world football in Erling Haaland. You can see why the right-back position is so problematic for Tuchel.”