FIFA rule that means Jarell Quansah's new World Cup ban can be appealed
England defender Jarell Quansah will serve a two game ban for the red card he was shown against Mexico, meaning he'll only be available again for the World Cup final.
Quansah was shown a red during England's 3-2 win against Mexico in the round of 16, and the ruling on his suspension means he'll miss the quarter final tie against Norway and a semi-final if the Three Lions reach that.
The defender's offence was 'serious foul play', and it's been pointed out that it's the same offence for which US striker Folarin Balogun was sent off in the World Cup, only to have FIFA decide his red card would be suspended for a year.
It was a highly controversial decision, with US President Donald Trump saying he made it happen by calling FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, which proved to be quite unpopular with UEFA and Team USA's next opponents Belgium.
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Fortunately, Belgium saved football by defeating the USA 4-1.
As for Quansah, he could technically play the remaining England fixtures at the World Cup if FIFA treated him the same way they treated Balogun and applied the same rules and decisions to his suspension.
However, that doesn't look like it's going to be the case in this instance, and when England manager Thomas Tuchel commented on the situation previously he didn't sound like a big fan of having red cards suspended in the middle of the tournament.
He'd said: "Where do you draw the line? I have no answer to that. Where does this end now? Do we appeal if a yellow card is not a yellow card? Do we think it's not a red card, or who thinks it?
"Where does it start and where does this end?"
England have their game against Norway to focus on, and if they get past Erling Haaland and his squad they'll face one of Argentina or Switzerland.
Of course if they reach that stage then they'll either make it into the final or the third place match, with Quansah being eligible for whichever of those fixtures England might end up playing in.
When FIFA suspended Balogun's red card they cited Chapter 4, Article 27, of the FIFA Disciplinary Code which states that a 'judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure'.
Under these seldom-used rules it's theoretically possible that Quansah could have his red card suspended and he be made available for selection again if the FA decide to appeal.
This is all very unlikely to happen given the can of worms that was opened when they suspended Balogun's red card.
Teams at the World Cup cannot appeal red cards directly, so any potential reprieve would suspend his ban rather than overturn it, creating a situation like Balogun's where the decision to send the player off is not challenged, but he's allowed to be picked for the next game.
World Cup 2026 fixture schedule and UK kick off times
Thursday, 9 July
Quarter-final - Match 97: France vs Morocco, kick-off 9pm - Foxborough, US
Friday, 10 July
Quarter-final - Match 98: Spain vs Belgium, kick-off 8pm - Los Angeles, US
Saturday, 11 July
Quarter-final - Match 99: Norway vs England, kick-off 10pm - Miami, US
Sunday, 12 July
Quarter-final - Match 100: Argentina vs Switzerland, kick-off 2am - Kansas City, US
Tuesday, 14 July
Semi-final - Match 101: Match 97 winners vs Match 98 winners, kick-off 8pm - Arlington, US
Wednesday, 15 July
Semi-final - Match 102: Match 99 winners vs Match 100 winners, kick-off 8pm - Atlanta, US
Saturday, 18 July
Third Place Playoff - Match 103: Match 101 losers vs Match 102 losers, kick-off 10pm - Miami, US
Sunday, 19 July
Final - Match 104: Match 101 winners vs Match 102 winners, kick-off 8pm - New Jersey, US
Joe Harker