England and Sarina Wiegman face an anxious wait to find out just how many games star player Lauren James will miss after receiving a straight red card in the team’s second round win against Nigeria.
The Chelsea forward, who has contributed to six of the Lionesses’ eight goals in a breakout tournament for the 21-year-old, was sent off after a VAR review for standing on Michelle Alozie’s back after a tangle between the two left the Super Falcons defender on the floor.
James will definitely miss Saturday’s quarter-final against Colombia in the first blow to Wiegman’s plan as she looks to revitalise a stuttering front line in this World Cup so far, but pending a FIFA review the length of the ban could be doubled or even tripled.
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A straight red card means an automatic one-match ban, but Nigeria’s own Deborah Abiodun saw her suspension after being sent off against Canada lengthened to three games ahead of their final group stage clash with Republic of Ireland.
China’s Zhang Rui was only given a one-match ban for her red card offence, but England face a nervous wait with FIFA likely to take a dim view of an incident which would very likely be classed under the violent conduct bracket.
If James receives a similar punishment to Abiodun, it will rule her out of the rest of the tournament should the Lionesses reach next weekend’s final. The FA released a statement yesterday saying it was supporting James and would offer representation for her when it comes to appealing any potential decision.
Abiodun’s ban wasn’t extended until after Nigeria’s next match so FIFA could wait if necessary until after Saturday’s quarter-final to see if England first and foremost progress to the semi-finals before making a final decision, but would have to alert the FA in advance of next week’s semi-finals should the Lionesses beat Colombia.
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Alex Greenwood has told FFT that she believes the development in the Lionesses recently is more mentality-focused than ability-based, while Christine Sinclair has spoken of her longevity. Intriguingly, Canada women’s head coach comes from a small town in County Durham – just like the men's – and FFT met Bev Priestman ahead of the tournament.
