A LABOUR MP has written to Fifa requesting that England player Jarell Quansah’s suspension be rescinded until after the World Cup, days after Donald Trump got US striker Folarin Balogun's one-match suspension lifted.
Noah Law sent a letter to Fifa president Gianni Infantino asking for Quansah’s one-match ban to be suspended, stating that rules being applied during the tournament must be equal to “all participating nations”.
The defender was shown a red card in England's 3-2 victory over Mexico on Monday.
Law’s request comes after Trump called Infantino to request that Balogun’s one-match suspension be lifted before the US took on Belgium, in a move which was fiercely criticised across the sport.
Fifa’s decision to grant Trump’s request was described by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) as "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable”.
Meanwhile, the Belgian Football Association said it was “astonished” and that it was “investigating all potential options”.
Law, Labour MP for St Austell and Newquay in Cornwall, admitted in his letter that Quansah was “right” to be sent off against Mexico.
However, he added that refereeing rules “must be applied consistently” and that he believes that it would be “right” to delay the players' suspension until after the completion of the World Cup.
Law wrote: “As I'm sure you are aware, during this morning's World Cup game between England and Mexico, our formidable right-back Jarell Quansah unfortunately received a red card for a clumsy tackle on a Mexico player.
“Whilst I believe that it was right for Jarell Quansah to have received this red card and that refereeing rules must be applied consistently, I believe it would be right to delay his suspension until after the completion of this World Cup.
“We know that a similar situation arose earlier in the competition when United States forward Folarin Balogun received a red card during the Round of 32.
“The integrity of any major international tournament depends not only on players and officials adhering to the rules, but also on those rules being applied equally to all participating nations.
“I am sure we will be unable to justify a situation in which one player benefits from a delayed suspension while another, in materially similar circumstances, does not.”
He added: “At a time when our multilateral system and the international rules-based order is under threat, I urge you to treat this matter with the utmost seriousness.
“I look forward to hearing from you and learning the outcome of this decision.”
England are set to face Norway in the World Cup’s quarter-finals on Saturday evening.
