August 10, (THEWILL) – England forward, Lauren James, has been handed a two-match ban by FIFA following her red card against Nigeria in the Women’s World Cup last 16.
THEWILL recalls that the 21-year-old Chelsea player was dismissed in the 87th minute of Monday’s match after stamping on Nigeria defender, Michelle Alozie. James will now miss England’s quarterfinal match against Colombia on Saturday, as well as a potential semi-final appearance. She would be eligible to return should England reach the final on August 20.
The incident occurred late in the match with the Super Falcons and the Lionesses tied in a barren deadlock. Replays showed James stepping on Alozie’s leg after the two tangled while going for the ball. The referee immediately cautioned James but switched it to a straight red card after reviewing the incident pitchside.
As THEWILL reported, James took to Twitter to apologise to Alozie, saying: “All my love and respect to you… I am sorry for what happened.” The England team also released a statement saying James was “full of remorse” and that the action was “wholly out of character.”
Despite going down to 10 players, England held on to beat Nigeria via penalty shootout and advance to the quarter-finals. They will now face Colombia without their rising young star.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
