Updated

Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 11

Jordan Pickford Set for 18th England World Cup Game as Norway Test Follows Mexico Masterclass

Updated

Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 11

Jordan Pickford Set for 18th England World Cup Game as Norway Test Follows Mexico Masterclass

Q: Following a controversial US precedent, can England's appeal keep their key defender on the pitch against Haaland?

Probably not. England can ask FIFA to review Jarell Quansah’s suspension, but under normal World Cup rules a red card and the automatic ban that follows are not appealable, so any success would depend on FIFA using an exceptional disciplinary power again. That is why the Folarin Balogun case matters. FIFA used Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code to suspend the implementation of Balogun’s automatic one-match ban, allowing him to play. The move was widely criticised by other federations and officials because it appeared to cut across the usual “field of play” principle that referee decisions and the resulting suspension stand. England’s problem is that Quansah’s case looks harder to rescue than Balogun’s. Reports around the Mexico match indicate Quansah’s dismissal was upheld as serious foul play, with FIFA imposing a two-match suspension rather than the standard one-game ban. If that stands, he would miss both the Norway quarter-final and a potential semi-final. Thomas Tuchel has already questioned the consistency of the process, especially after the Balogun precedent. But that precedent does not create a formal right of appeal for England; it only shows FIFA has the power to intervene if it chooses. Given the backlash Balogun’s reprieve caused, repeating it for England would be highly contentious. So England may try, but on the rules and the available evidence, Quansah is more likely to be unavailable against Erling Haaland than cleared to play.

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 11

18th World Cup appearance against Norway will make Jordan Pickford England's most-capped player in the tournament, moving him past Peter Shilton's record of 17 in the Miami quarter-final.
32-year-old Pickford reaches the mark days after a decisive display in England's 3-2 last-16 win over Mexico, where his first-half saves and command after Jarell Quansah's red card helped preserve the result.
89 England caps, 44 clean sheets and only two Opta-recorded errors leading to goals underline why he has remained the undisputed first-choice keeper since the 2018 World Cup.
23 Premier League clean sheets in the last two seasons—second only to David Raya's 32—have strengthened the case that Pickford's consistency for Everton and England has been under-recognized.
That form now carries extra weight as England prepare to face a Norway side led by Erling Haaland, fresh from a 2-0 last-16 win over Brazil.