Lauren James will be allowed to play in the World Cup final if England qualifies, avoiding a three-game ban.
Lauren James’ World Cup is not finished after a Fifa disciplinary tribunal opted not to penalize her with a three-match punishment for stamping on an opponent against Nigeria.
England feared the 21-year-old would face the maximum punishment as she was issued a straight red card for standing on the back of Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie as she moved away from a tangle of bodies.
Lauren James will be allowed to play in the World Cup final if England qualifies, avoiding a three-game ban.
The red card was for violent behaviour, which could have resulted in a three-match ban, but the Football Association defended the Chelsea star during her disciplinary hearing.
The infraction was later determined to be on the lower end of the scale, and James would be punished for only two games.
That means she may face him in the World Cup if England makes it to the semi-finals. Despite missing any of the last four matches, James will be entitled to return for either the final if they win or the third and fourth match play-off if they lose. On Saturday, England will face a dangerous Colombia team in the quarter-finals in Sydney.
“The Fifa Disciplinary Committee has imposed a two-match suspension on England’s player Lauren James following a violation of article 14 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code at the Fifa Women’s World Cup match England vs Nigeria,” according to a statement on the Fifa website. The suspension will be imposed during the Fifa Women’s World Cup quarter-final and the following international match.”
Some may be surprised by the leniency, given that other players in this competition have received three-match suspensions for aggressive conduct.
James, though, had already apologised to Alozie – who was also gracious in her reaction to the incident – as well as England supporters and team-mates. Her dismissal in the 87th minute of the last-16 game in Brisbane left the rest of the team to navigate their way through all of extra time with a player less than their opponents.
But Sarina Wiegman’s side managed to hold on and eventually triumphed on penalties, with Chloe Kelly smashing home the winning spot kick.
The FA have declined to comment on Fifa’s decision although manager Wiegman will address the situation at her pre-match press conference on Friday.
The prospect of James being able to play in England’s final game, should they beat Colombia, will be a huge boost to both her and the rest of the squad given how impressive she had been in the games against Denmark and China.
Despite starting the first game against Haiti on the bench, James has three goals and three assists in the World Cup.
2 thoughts on “Lauren James will be allowed to play in the World Cup final if England qualifies, avoiding a three-game ban.”