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England will be without one of its key defenders for the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals and semi-finals if it goes that far.
Jarell Quansah received a straight red card against Mexico and it was announced on Thursday that his suspension was increased to two matches instead of the standard one. So Quansah misses Saturday’s quarter-final match against Norway and a potential semi-final match against the winner of Argentina-Switzerland.
Quansah’s tackle on Mexico left-back Jesus Gallardo was not penalized on the pitch, but he was sent off after a VAR review.
“I called it live when I was working,” FOX rules analyst Mark Clattenburg told us, “and I’ve seen replays and more and more replays, and the challenge has a lot of speed… Yes, he touches the ball, but the foot goes over the top of the ball and catches his opponent’s leg. I’ve never had any doubts because not many people can defend that this is not a red card.”
FOX analyst Dr. Joe Machnik agreed, saying: “What I think they saw in the England player’s mistake was the excessive force, lunging with two feet into the opponent. Then, when it may have been a consequence of him being on the ground, he actually lifts his leg with the knuckles exposed higher into the opponent’s leg. So I think they felt that was enough.”
Clattenburg further explained bumping the suspension up to two games.
“If you hurt someone with a challenge that could potentially stop a player from playing for the rest of the tournament because of that tackle, it should be more than one game,” Clattenburg said. “And I think this challenge was definitely more than a normal situation and a second sending off for the match is the right decision.”
Jarell Quansah’s tackle was not penalized on the pitch, but he was shown a red card after VAR suggested the referee take a second look. (Michael Steele/Getty Images)
England will be frustrated that Quansah’s suspension was increased, while the US benefited from the review process surrounding Folarin Balogun’s suspension. For Clattenburg, however, Quansah’s acceptance of an extra game is consistent with how FIFA has operated in the past.
“This is a big question because what we have seen in this World Cup is unprecedented, especially with Flo Balogun’s one-match ban,” Clattenburg said. “In the past, this type of challenge would automatically receive two matches: one automatically and one for the nature of the challenge.
“We saw it earlier in the tournament where a Qatari player broke a Canadian player’s leg and he received five games. So they look at the challenge, they look at what the impact was and make a decision. And I think two games is fair and consistent.
“Take out the Flo Balogun situation, it is in line with other tournaments.”
