Nawah Lo, a member of the English Parliament from the Labour Party, submitted a request to FIFA to lift the red card from Jarell Quansah, the defender of the England national team.
Jarell Quansah
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Quansah was sent off during the match between England and Mexico in the Round of 16 of the World Cup, which ended with England winning 3-2.
The English MP decided to submit a request to suspend Quansah's ban for the quarter-final match against Norway.
This is similar to what happened with Folarin Balogun, the American striker, who had his red card lifted to participate normally against Belgium in the Round of 16.
The letter from the MP to FIFA read as follows:
To Mr. Gianni Infantino,
Subject: Request to lift the one-match suspension for Jarell Quansah after receiving a red card
I hope this message finds you well.
As you know, during the World Cup match held this morning between England and Mexico, our outstanding right-back Jarell Quansah received a red card after an unsuccessful challenge on one of the Mexican players.
While I believe that giving Jarell Quansah a red card was the correct decision, and that the rules of officiating should be applied fairly and consistently, I see it as appropriate to postpone the enforcement of the suspension until after the World Cup.
We know that a similar case occurred earlier in the tournament when the US national team striker Folarin Balogun received a red card during the Round of 32.
The integrity of any major international tournament relies not only on the adherence of players and referees to the rules but also on the equal application of those rules to all participating teams. I do not believe that a situation can be justified where one player benefits from a postponement of the suspension while another player, in very similar circumstances, is denied the same treatment.
At a time when the multilateral international system, based on the rule of law, faces increasing challenges, I urge you to treat this matter with the utmost seriousness.
I look forward to your response and to being informed of the decision that will be made regarding this matter.
Please accept my highest respect.
