Lauren James, the England midfielder, has been ruled out of the rest of the 2023 Women’s World Cup after receiving a red card in the match against Nigeria.
With the game still tied at 0-0, James was sent off in the 70th minute after stamping on Michelle Alozie.
Initially shown a yellow card, the referee later reviewed the incident on the VAR on-pitch monitor.
Despite being down to 10 players for the entire extra time, England managed to secure a 4-2 victory in the subsequent penalty shoot-out.
However, James will not be able to participate in any further matches of the World Cup due to her needless stamp, as violent conduct dismissals carry a three-match suspension.
FIFA rules state: “A player will be suspended for at least three matches for violent conduct; at least three matches or an appropriate period of time for assault, including elbowing, punching, kicking, biting, spitting or hitting an opponent or a person other than a match official.”
England has a maximum of three fixtures to play as they only qualified for the quarter-finals.
