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Quansah banned after Mexico
Jarell Quansah was handed a two-match ban by Fifa for his red card in England’s World Cup last-16 victory over Mexico, with the sanction announced on Thursday for serious foul play.
Fifa’s decision means Quansah will miss England’s World Cup quarterfinal against Norway in Miami on Saturday, and he would also miss the semifinal if England progress.
ESPN said Quansah was sent off in the 54th minute of England’s 3-2 victory over Mexico following a VAR review for a high tackle on Mexico defender Jesús Gallardo, and England played the final 36 minutes with a man disadvantage.
The Guardian reported that Thomas Tuchel must now decide what to do at right-back for the quarter-final against Norway in Miami, with Reece James a selection doubt after missing the last three matches with a hamstring injury.
The Guardian added that Tuchel was unhappy at the processes that led to Quansah’s red card, which came after he stretched into a challenge on the Mexico left-back, Jesus Gallardo, and the referee Alireza Faghani reached his decision after being called to the pitch-side monitor by the video assistant referee.
Tuchel questions FIFA line
Thomas Tuchel said he was frustrated by the precedent set by FIFA’s decision on Folarin Balogun, asking, "Where does this start and where does this end now?"
ESPN reported that in the hours following Quansah’s red card, sources told ESPN the FA weighed up their options in light of FIFA’s decision to suspend USMNT striker Folarin Balogun’s one-game ban for 12 months following an intervention from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Guardian noted that there is no right of appeal against a red card at this tournament, while also saying the possibility of one being overturned has been opened by Fifa’s decision to suspend Balogun’s one-match ban after he had been dismissed in the USA’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bukayo Saka said, "I just found out. Very frustrating for sure [but] it is what it is," and he added, "It was Fifa’s decision."
Nico O’Reilly said he was "gutted for him and he’s not happy about it … but the decision is made now and he’s got his head around it," as England prepared for the Norway match in Miami.
Norway test and TV boom
England’s quarterfinal against Norway in Miami arrives after the England-Mexico game drew major U.S. audiences, with The New York Times’ account of preliminary Nielsen-linked figures saying more than 44 million people in the U.S. watched the Mexico vs. England game.
“We might actually be able to win this thing”
The New York Times reported that the total reached 44.8 million, including 23.2 million on Telemundo and 21.742 million on Fox, and it said the 21.7 million on Fox made it the most-watched U.S. English-language World Cup telecast ever that didn’t feature the USMNT.
Variety said Fox Sports grabbed 21.7 million viewers for its telecast of England-Mexico, while Telemundo and Peacock saw an even bigger crowd of 23.2 million, and it called the match the most-watched World Cup telecast in U.S. history for a match that did not include Team USA.
BBC pundit Alan Shearer said, "We might actually be able to win this thing," after England’s epic win over Mexico, and he added that playing Norway in Miami would be a different challenge altogether.
Shearer also said he was feeling confident that England could stop Erling Haaland, writing that "if we can stop Erling Haaland then we have got a much better chance of winning that game," as the quarterfinal stakes rise for England’s next match.
