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England head coach Thomas Tuchel has revealed that FIFA is yet to explain why defender Jarell Quansah's suspension was increased from the standard one match to two following his red card against Mexico, reported Sky Sports.
Three Lions are preparing for their FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final against Norway on Saturday (local time). Quansah was sent off after a VAR review early in the second half of England's dramatic 3-2 Round of 16 victory over co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca Stadium for an ankle-high challenge on Jesus Gallardo. While such dismissals typically result in a one-match suspension, FIFA upgraded the punishment to two matches after classifying the challenge as "serious foul play." The decision came amid scrutiny over FIFA's disciplinary processes after the governing body suspended the enforcement of United States forward Folarin Balogun's one-match ban for a year, allowing him to feature against Belgium despite his earlier dismissal against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Asked whether his criticism of the officiating after the Mexico game could have influenced the disciplinary decision, Tuchel said, "I don't think so. We also have no explanation," as quoted by Sky Sports. The England manager had strongly criticised the standard of officiating following the victory over Mexico. Despite Quansah's absence, Tuchel received a significant boost ahead of the quarter-final after confirming that Declan Rice, Marc Guehi and Reece James were all available for selection. Rice had been recovering from illness after the Mexico match, while Guehi missed a training session earlier this week with a hamstring concern. James also returned to training after recovering from the hamstring injury he sustained during England's group-stage match against Ghana. "We had everyone available in training. That's the best news," Tuchel said during his pre-match press conference. We have the full choice except for our suspended player [Quansah]," he said. Reflecting on England's progress in the tournament, Tuchel insisted his side had quickly turned its focus to the challenge posed by Norway. "I think we took a big step in our last match, but it was only a step," he said, as per Sky Sports. "We're still hungry, we still have dreams, and we still have a big goal to play for. The next step is to win the quarter-final. We left this match behind. We take the positive things and the belief with us, but everything that matters is ahead of us," Tuchel added. England head into the quarter-final on the back of three consecutive victories, including their hard-fought win over Mexico despite playing much of the second half with 10 men. Jude Bellingham scored twice in that contest, while Harry Kane added the decisive penalty. Norway, meanwhile, arrive full of confidence after stunning five-time champions Brazil 2-1 in the Round of 16. Erling Haaland struck twice as Stale Solbakken's side reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in the nation's history. The winners of Saturday's clash at the Hard Rock Stadium will advance to the semi-finals, where either defending champions Argentina or Switzerland await. (ANI)
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