England defender Jarell Quansah has been issued a two-match ban following his red card incident during the match against Mexico. The decision, confirmed by Fifa’s disciplinary committee, means Quansah will miss England‘s upcoming quarter-final fixture against Norway and a potential semi-final match.
Quansah was sent off in the 54th minute of England‘s 3-2 victory after a challenge on Jesus Gallardo. The incident was classified as serious foul play, resulting in an additional match suspension on top of the automatic one-game ban. This ruling means the player will be unavailable for Saturday’s quarter-final and could miss a semi-final clash against either Argentina or Switzerland. He would, however, be eligible to play if England reaches the final in New Jersey on 19 July.
Impact on England’s World Cup campaign
The ban presents a challenge for England head coach Thomas Tuchel, particularly concerning options at right-back. Quansah had been filling in for the injured Reece James against Mexico, with Djed Spence only appearing as a substitute due to a minor fitness issue. Tuchel has indicated that James is expected to be available for the match against Norway, having recovered from a hamstring injury sustained in the second group match against Ghana.
Assistant coach Anthony Barry expressed disappointment regarding Quansah’s absence, noting that it removes a valuable player from the squad, especially given existing injuries in that position. Winger Bukayo Saka echoed this sentiment, describing the ban as “incredibly frustrating for us, and for him.” He added that the team must adapt and prepare to face Norway.
The Football Association had considered an appeal but found no avenue to contest the ban under tournament regulations. Reports indicate that the FA made strong representations to Fifa concerning the process that led to the red card decision, arguing that the use of a still image and slow-motion replays before real-time viewing could have led to ‘outcome bias’. In contrast, Premier League officials are typically shown incidents at full speed first, though this is considered an outlier.
VAR protocol and previous decisions
The severity of Quansah’s punishment has drawn comparisons to the case of United States forward Folarin Balogun. Balogun was also sent off for serious foul play against Bosnia-Herzegovina and was initially expected to receive a two-game ban. However, Fifa made a decision to ban him for only one match, which was then suspended for 12 months. This decision, which followed a call from US President Donald Trump to Fifa president Gianni Infantino, led to criticism from various football bodies, including Uefa and Belgium.
The VAR protocol specifies that full speed should be used to assess the “intensity of the challenge,” while slow motion is appropriate for identifying the “point of contact for physical offences.” As long as the referee views the incident at full speed, as was reportedly the case for both Balogun and Quansah, the protocol is considered to have been followed. The World Cup VAR process involves showing officials a still image of the point of contact, followed by a slow-motion replay, and then full speed.
The upcoming quarter-final match against Norway will be officiated by French referee Clement Turpin, who previously oversaw England‘s 4-2 victory over Croatia.
Defensive considerations and upcoming challenges
With Quansah’s unavailability, the question of who will start at right-back for England remains pertinent. The position has been a concern since before the tournament began, with Tino Livramento withdrawing due to a calf issue and Trent Alexander-Arnold not being selected. While Reece James is nearing full fitness, there is an element of risk in immediately reintroducing him into a high-stakes match.
Other potential options include Ezri Konsa, who ended the Mexico game at right-back, and Trevoh Chalobah, who was called up as a centre-back. Djed Spence is also an option, though he has appeared more comfortable at left-back for England. The choice of full-back will also need to complement the attacking play of Noni Madueke or Saka on the right flank.
Norway, making their first World Cup quarter-final appearance, poses a significant challenge, led by Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, who has scored seven goals in the tournament. Nico O’Reilly, a teammate of Haaland, cautioned against focusing solely on the prolific forward, highlighting that Norway possesses other dangerous players. O’Reilly himself is one booking away from a suspension but stated he would not alter his approach for the match against Norway.
Saka, who arrived at the tournament managing an Achilles problem, has noted that his fitness has been improving throughout the competition and he feels ready to play.
The quarter-final match against Norway is scheduled for Saturday.
Source: bbc.com