Jarell Quansah has been banned for two games by Fifa for his red card in England’s last-16 win over Mexico.
Quansah was sent off after VAR review following a reckless sliding challenge which saw his studs go into the shin of Jesus Gallardo.
England were considering appealing the decision after Fifa suspended USA striker Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban, something that was lobbied for by US president Donald Trump in a hugely controversial move.
However, England have now discovered that Quansah’s suspension has been doubled to two matches instead of one after Fifa found him in breach of Article 14 of their code of conduct, which states a player would get a two-game ban for serious foul play.
It means the Bayer Leverkusen defender will miss both Saturday’s quarter-final against Norway as well as a potential semi-final against either Argentina or Switzerland, with the only prospect of a return for the defender being in the final if they get that far.
Fifa and Gianni Infantino have been under heavy fire for the decision to wipe Balogun’s ban for the host nation’s last-16 meeting with Belgium, which they went on to lose 4-1 in Seattle.
The decision, which saw Fifa enact a little-known clause in their regulations, came after receiving a phone call from Trump who openly admitted to intervening, reaching out to Infantino to request a review.
Fifa had previously been criticised for lacking an official avenue to appeal red cards at the World Cup after Balogun’s contentious sending off against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
More to follow.
