Four England players run the risk of being suspended for a potential World Cup semi-final – but captain Harry Kane is not one of them.
Players who receive two knockout stage yellow cards before the semi-final will incur a one-match suspension.
And Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Marc Guehi and Nico O’Reilly are all walking the tightrope of the one-game ban ahead of Saturday’s game with Norway.
TV coverage during England’s win over Mexico claimed Kane was booked just after conceding a penalty to the co-hosts in the second half.
However, in that moment – replays show referee Alireza Faghani actually booked Guehi instead, as the England defender was delaying the penalty being taken.
FIFA also confirmed in their match centre that Guehi was booked, not Kane.
Should any of the above England quartet be booked and the Three Lions progress, they will be suspended for the semi-final against either Argentina or Switzerland.
Yellow cards are wiped after the quarter-final stage, so the only way a player can be suspended for the World Cup final is if they are sent off in the semi-final.
But as Folarin Balogun has proved, Article 27 can be used to get rid of World Cup suspensions – so who really knows?
