FA Weighs Appeal for Quansah's Red Card Ahead of Norway Clash
The Football Association (FA) is considering appealing to FIFA against the red card shown to defender Jarell Quansah during England's round of 16 victory over Mexico, according to an ESPN report on Monday. The FA believes the precedent set by the rescinding of US forward Folarin Balogun's red card could justify a similar outcome for Quansah.
Quansah, a Bayern Leverkusen defender, was sent off in the second half of England's 3-2 win at the Azteca Stadium after a VAR review deemed his high tackle on Mexico defender Jesus Gallardo worthy of a red card. Despite being reduced to 10 men, England secured a memorable victory. However, Quansah is now suspended for the quarterfinal against Norway scheduled for Saturday in Miami.
Balogun Precedent Sparks Controversy
The FA's consideration follows FIFA's decision to suspend the automatic one-match ban for US striker Flo Balogun, who received a red card in the round of 32 against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Balogun's suspension was rescinded after interventions from US President Donald Trump and the legal team of US Soccer, allowing him to play in the round of 16 against Belgium on Monday.
This decision drew sharp criticism from the Belgian Football governing body, which challenged FIFA's ruling. However, FIFA's Appeals Committee declared the Belgian federation's request "inadmissible," stating it was "not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision." The RBFA acknowledged the ruling and said it was considering "further actions."
Labour MP Urges FIFA to Delay Quansah's Suspension
British Labour Party MP Noah Law wrote to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, urging him to delay Quansah's suspension until after the World Cup. Citing the Balogun case, Law called for consistent application of rules across all participating nations.
Law wrote: "I hope this letter finds you well. As I'm sure you are aware, during this morning's World Cup game between England and Mexico, our formidable right-back Jarell Quansah unfortunately received a red card for a clumsy tackle on a Mexico player. Whilst I believe that it was right for Jarell Quansah to have received this red card and that refereeing rules must be applied consistently, I believe it would be right to delay his suspension until after the completion of this World Cup."
He added: "The integrity of any major international tournament depends not only on players and officials adhering to the rules, but also on those rules being applied equally to all participating nations. I am sure we will be unable to justify a situation in which one player benefits from a delayed suspension while another, in materially similar circumstances, does not. At a time when our multilateral system and the international rules-based order is under threat, I urge you to treat this matter with the utmost seriousness."
FIFA Defends Balogun Decision Under Article 27
FIFA announced that Balogun's automatic one-match suspension had been suspended under Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code for a probationary period of one year. The decision followed Trump's call to Infantino, in which he argued the red card was unwarranted. Trump said: "I spoke to Gianni who's highly respected. That wasn't a foul, that wasn't even an infraction, that was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other... He (Balogun) didn't do anything wrong, and he's one of our best players, a very vital player, and he gave him a red card. So, yes I asked for a review by FIFA."
The FA now faces a similar situation, with Quansah's absence potentially weakening England's defense against a strong Norway side. The outcome of the appeal could have significant implications for England's World Cup campaign.
