England will definitely be without Jarell Quansah for their World Cup quarter-final against Norway this weekend. The former Liverpool defender received a red card after a VAR review for a tackle on Jesus Gallardo during the last-16 victory over Mexico. He has since learned his punishment is a two-match suspension.
A FIFA statement on Thursday read: “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed a 2-match suspension for a breach of article 14 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.” The additional match ban was imposed because the committee deemed Quansah’s tackle constituted “serious foul play”.
Quansah to Miss Key Matches
As a result, Quansah will be forced to watch England’s showdown with Norway from the stands in Miami. He will also miss the semi-final against either Argentina or Switzerland if England progress. Quansah could still play in the tournament, but only if England reach the final or contest the third-place play-off, as the suspension only applies to the World Cup.
Appeal Process
The Football Association (FA) cannot appeal Quansah’s ban, despite considering this course of action. This comes after FIFA decided to suspend Folarin Balogun's automatic one-match ban for his sending off in the USA’s round of 32 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina. Balogun was due to miss the last-16 match against Belgium but was cleared to play as the co-hosts lost 4-1 and were eliminated.
However, there will be no such reprieve for Quansah and England. Under tournament regulations, there are no grounds for the FA to challenge the ban. It is understood that the FA privately challenged the processes applied and questioned whether VAR was correctly used in determining Quansah’s sending-off.
Team Reaction
Thomas Tuchel's assistant coach Anthony Barry said: "Disappointing, not with the decision, just the fact that we lose a good player. He was excellent in training, and of course we have some injuries in that position, so it looked like a space had opened up for Jarell. But the decision's been made - we won't waste any more energy on it. Overall for us, we lose a good player for two games, but it's just another hurdle that we have to overcome."
