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England will be without one of their key defenders in the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, should they advance that far.
Jarell Quansah received a straight red card against Mexico and on Thursday it was announced that his suspension was increased to two games instead of the usual one. Quansah will therefore miss Saturday’s quarter-final match against Norway and a possible semi-final showdown against the winner of Argentina-Switzerland.
Quansah’s tackle on Mexican left back Jesús Gallardo was not sanctioned on the field, but he was sent off after the VAR review.
“I called it live when I was working,” FOX rules analyst Mark Clattenburg told us, “and I’ve seen the replays and more and more replays, and the challenge has a lot of speed… Yes, he touches the ball, but his foot goes over the ball and catches his opponent’s leg. I never had any doubt because not many people can make the case that this is not a red card.”
FOX analyst Dr. Joe Machnik agreed, saying, “What I think they saw in the English player’s foul was excessive force in lunging with two feet toward the opponent. Then, when it could have been a consequence of being on the ground, he actually lifts his leg with the studs exposed higher up on the opponent’s leg. So, I think they felt that one game wasn’t enough.”
Clattenburg explained in more detail how to increase the suspension to two games.
“If you hurt someone with a challenge that can potentially prevent a player from playing the rest of the tournament because of that tackle, it should be more than one match,” Clattenburg said. “And I think this challenge was certainly more than a normal situation, and a second suspension for the match is the right decision.”
Jarell Quansah’s tackle was not penalized on the field, but he received a red card after the VAR suggested the referee take another look. (Michael Steele/Getty Images)
England will be frustrated by the escalation of Quansah’s suspension, while the United States benefited from the review process surrounding Folarin Balogun’s suspension. For Clattenburg, however, Quansah receiving an extra match is consistent with the way FIFA has operated in the past.
“This is a big question because what we’ve seen in this World Cup is unprecedented, especially with Flo Balogun’s one-match suspension,” Clattenburg said. “In the past, this type of challenge would automatically receive two matches: one automatic and one due to the nature of the challenge.
“We saw it earlier in the tournament, when a Qatari player broke a Canadian player’s leg and received five matches. So they analyze the challenge, analyze what the impact was and make a decision. And I think two matches is fair and consistent.
“Let’s eliminate the Flo Balogun situation, it is consistent with other tournaments.”
