England’s Football Association is considering whether to challenge Jarell Quansah’s red card from Sunday’s dramatic 3-2 World Cup victory over Mexico.
The Bayer Leverkusen defender was dismissed in the 54th minute following a high challenge on Jesus Gallardo, which was deemed serious foul play by the referee.
With the challenge classified as serious foul play, Quansah now faces the prospect of a two-game ban at a critical stage of the tournament.
The FA’s deliberations come in the wake of a remarkable precedent set by Fifa involving United States striker Folarin Balogun’s overturned red card.
Balogun was sent off for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic in the last 32, with a one-match suspension set to rule him out of Tuesday’s last-16 clash against Belgium.
However, US President Donald Trump intervened by asking Fifa to review the suspension, prompting the governing body to make the shock decision to suspend Balogun’s automatic one-match ban for 12 months.
Fifa officials invoked the article 27 clause in their rules to achieve this outcome, a clause that had never previously been used at the World Cup.
The clause effectively allows Fifa to make whatever decision it wants without having to meet any other criteria, raising serious questions about the consistency and fairness of disciplinary decisions during the tournament.
The decision drew widespread criticism from across the football world, including from European football’s governing body, Belgium, and England manager Thomas Tuchel.
With the precedent now established, it could spark a host of similar appeals, with France reported to be challenging Michael Olise’s yellow card from their victory over Paraguay.
The US authorities argued that Balogun’s red card was unfair because there was no intent, though intent was removed from football’s laws many years ago, with only the result of a challenge meant to be considered.
Balogun’s red card was not rescinded outright, as Fifa rules do not permit that, meaning the striker effectively received a sin-bin punishment for the Bosnia incident rather than a full dismissal.
Quansah’s challenge was different in nature to Balogun’s, as he was sliding in, though both cases share the common thread of accidental studs-up contact being the basis for the sending off.
The timing of the potential ban is particularly damaging for England given the ongoing injury problems at right-back throughout the tournament.
Reece James, Djed Spence, Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Quansah and midfielder Declan Rice have all been used as right-sided defenders during the World Cup, highlighting the depth of Tuchel’s concerns in that position.
James, England’s first-choice right-back, has been absent since suffering a hamstring injury in the second group game against Ghana, missing matches against Panama, DR Congo and Mexico.
Quansah himself picked up an injury against Panama but recovered sufficiently to start the victory over Mexico, making his red card all the more frustrating for the England camp.
England face Norway in the quarter-finals in Miami on Saturday, with clarity over Quansah’s availability likely to prove crucial in Tuchel’s preparations for what promises to be a demanding contest.
