The English Football Association is considering appealing against the red card received by Jarell Quansah during England's 3-2 victory over Mexico in the World Cup.
Jarell Quansah
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
The England defender was sent off in the 54th minute after a strong challenge on Jesús Gallardo, in a play classified as violent conduct, which could expose him to a two-match suspension.
Sky revealed that the English FA is examining its options, especially after the controversy surrounding the cancellation of the suspension of American striker Folarin Balogun, following an intervention from US President Donald Trump, who asked FIFA to review the decision.
Balogun had been sent off during the round-of-32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina and was set to miss the round-of-16 clash with Belgium, before FIFA decided to suspend the enforcement of the sanction for 12 months, a move that drew widespread criticism from UEFA, the Belgium national team, and England coach Thomas Tuchel.
World Cup regulations stipulate that appeals against red cards are not permitted, yet FIFA invoked Article 27 to suspend Balogun’s sanction, a precedent occurring for the first time in the tournament’s history and granting the international body exceptional powers to make decisions without specific restrictions.
This decision could open the door to a series of appeals, as reports indicated that France is considering challenging a yellow card issued to Michael Olise during the win over Paraguay, while the French federation has not commented so far.
For its part, the American side justified its position by stating that Balogun’s sending-off occurred without deliberate intent, although the laws have not relied on intent for years but rather on the outcome of the challenge.
By comparison, Quansah’s dismissal came after a sliding challenge with a raised foot, a moment the referee deemed dangerous despite the absence of intent to injure.
The potential absence of Quansah exacerbates England’s right-back crisis, given the multiple players who have featured in this position during the tournament, such as Reece James, Djed Spence, Ezri Konsa, John Stones and Declan Rice.
Reece James, the first-choice right-back, has been absent since suffering a hamstring injury during the group-stage match against Ghana, leaving the team without him for the encounters with Panama, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mexico.
England are scheduled to face Norway in the World Cup quarter-final on Saturday in Miami.
