The FA is considering a possible appeal for a red card against Jarell Quansah, who was sent off during England's victory against Mexico. A similar case also involved US forward Folarin Balogun.
England won the match against Mexico 3-2, but Quansah's dismissal could have significant repercussions for the upcoming matches. Having been classified as a serious foul, the Bayer Leverkusen defender now faces a two-match ban. The FA is considering its options, recalling a recent case in which US star Folarin Balogun's red card was overturned after US President Donald Trump called on FIFA to review his one-match ban for a foul on a Bosnian defender.
The 25-year-old Balogun looked set to miss the round of 16 match against Belgium, but FIFA decided to suspend his automatic one-year ban, a decision which has sparked controversy and criticism from various figures in football, including Belgium and England manager Thomas Tuchel.
It is important to underline that the World Cup regulations do not provide for the possibility of appealing red cards, but FIFA has invoked clause 27 of their regulations, allowing extraordinary decisions without having to comply with the standard criteria. This could lead to a series of appeals, as reported by sources indicating that France are contesting a yellow card received by Michael Olise during the victory against Paraguay.
Despite the lack of intent in Balogun's foul, football law has long since eliminated the consideration of intentionality, so only the outcome of the intervention is evaluated. Although Balogun's red card was not overturned, the one-match ban was seen as excessive considering the intervention was accidental. Quansah's situation is similar, as he was also sent off for an accidental intervention with his studs, but there is a substantial difference: Quansah was in a slip.
Quansah's possible suspension would further complicate the defensive situation for Tuchel, who has already had problems with the right-back position. Reece James, Djed Spence, Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Quansah and midfielder Declan Rice have already played as right-backs during the tournament. James, the starting right flank, has been out since injuring a thigh muscle in the second group match against Ghana, also missing the matches against Panama, Democratic Republic of Congo and Mexico. Quansah, meanwhile, suffered an injury against Panama, but was able to start against Mexico. England will now face Norway in the quarter-finals in Miami next Saturday.
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