‘England Women’s Soccer Goddess’ Lauren James (21-Chelsea Wimmin) has been given a further punishment after being shown a red card for violently stamping on an opponent’s back.
James committed the unsportsmanlike conduct in the 42nd minute of the Round of 16 match against Nigeria at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand 2023 on July 7 when she stepped on the back of her opponent, Michelle Alozie, as she fell to the ground. He was initially shown a yellow card, but after a VAR review, he was shown a red card and sent off. Despite being outnumbered, England survived extra time and won 4-2 on penalties to reach the quarterfinals in dramatic fashion. Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) officially announced James’ two-match ban on Tuesday (KST).
The “talented” James, who inherited the No. 10 shirt last year when Ji So-Yeon left Chelsea’s Wimmin for eight seasons, has been England’s best goalkeeper at the World Cup. He scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Denmark in the second round of the group stage, then followed it up with a two-goal, three-assist performance in a 6-1 thrashing of China in the third round.
The ejection for violent conduct was initially expected to result in a three-match ban. That would have effectively ended her World Cup career, as she would have missed the quarterfinal against Colombia on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., as well as the quarterfinals and final if England went all the way. However, the two-match ban means that if England reach the final, James will have a chance to do her bit. England, last year’s women’s champions, also have new motivation.
The Women’s World Cup, which features 32 nations for the first time, is currently in the quarterfinals. Spain-Netherlands (10 a.m.), Japan-Sweden (4:30 p.m.), Australia-France (4 p.m.), and England-Colombia (7:30 p.m.) on Nov. 11 will determine who will reach the dream quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, after England’s quarterfinal victory, James and Nigeria’s Alogie took to social media to share a heartwarming moment of reconciliation. Alogie wrote: “It was a game of immense passion, uncontrollable emotions and moments. Shout out to Lauren James,” while James wrote, “All my love and respect to Aloha. I sincerely apologize for what happened yesterday,’ he wrote. ‘To the England fans and teammates, it is my greatest honor to play with you and for you, and I promise to learn from this experience,’ he added.온라인바카라
The England national team also released a statement, saying: ‘Lauren is truly sorry and regrets her actions that led to her receiving a red card. It was completely out of character for Lauren. We will continue to support Lauren and act as her spokesperson. We fully respect FIFA’s disciplinary decision and will not comment further until a decision has been made.
England head coach Sarina Vigman added: “I think she lost it in the heat of the moment. She would never want to hurt anyone. She’s the sweetest person I know,” she said, before wrapping her arms around James, “but when something like this happens, you can’t change it anymore. She’s going to learn a lot from this experience. But she never did it on purpose. She didn’t want to hurt anyone.”