A decision by UEFA has banned Wayne Rooney from playing in the group stages of the Euro 2012 competition. The ban is to last for three matches and was announced after he was given a red card during a game against Montenegro. He was given the card during the 74th minute of the game after kicking one of the players.
A statement from UEFA has said, “Following Wayne Rooney’s behaviour in the match against Montenegro we have decided that disciplinary action should include a three match ban.” An appeal could be launched but the Football Association has yet to decide whether to do this as it risks him being punished further. They have commented, “We are currently considering the matter and it will be an internal decision as to whether we pursue an appeal. We will make the decision before we make any further public announcements.”
England fans had hoped that Rooney would only get a one match ban, especially after the referee of the match said that Rooney accepted the card without much hesitation. Questions had previously been raised about Rooney’s temper, in 2006 he was sent off during the World Cup for a similar act against Portugal.
Fabio Capello who is the coach of England has said, “this is an unfortunate mistake by Rooney and we’re going to use friendly matches we have next month to ensure that we could still succeed without him. There is no defence for the sort of behaviour we saw against Montenegro and we need to work out a way to be able to win without him on the pitch.
“Rooney is a very important player on the side but he can make these mistakes, he apologised for his actions but we must see an improvement in his behaviour.” In response to a question whether Capello was ready to have an England team without Rooney he answered in one word, “yes.”
Other comments from Capello have suggested that if he finds a way to play without Rooney the striker will have to make a great deal of effort to remain on the squad. Alan Shearer, a former strike if England, has said, “this is a huge blow to English football and to the fancy follow it, it is likely that Rooney realises the error he has made. If he did not see what he had done as wrong it is even more likely that he would repeat this kind of mistake in the future.
“Personally, I believe that the English team can still succeed without him. Seeing how the team performs in these next three matches will give Capello an idea of what the performance of the English side will be like without Rooney.”
His ban from the pitch for three matches can be seen as good news for others who could potentially play on the English squad. They will be able to prove themselves so that they might be selected to play for the Euro 2012 finals which are being held in the Ukraine and Poland.
Jermaine Defoe who plays the Tottenham Hotspur, Danny Welbeck who plays alongside Rooney in Manchester United, Andy Carroll who plays the Liverpool, and Darren Bent who plays for Aston Villa are all in line to replace Rooney for the next three matches, and potentially over the longer term.
