Ian Wright hits out at "ridiculous" UEFA rule after Germany crash out of Euro 2024
Spain take on France in the semi-final of Euro 2024 after beating hosts Germany but will be without some key players who are suspended after picking up bookings in the quarter-final stage
Ian Wright has branded UEFA rules around suspensions at Euro 2024 as 'ridiculous' with Spain set to be without a number of players for their clash with France.
The 2008 and 2012 European champions scraped past hosts Germany on Friday evening thanks to Mikel Merino's 119th-minute goal. Extra time was required after Florian Wirtz's 89th-minute effort cancelled out Dani Olmo's opening goal to force extra time.
Spain's progress came at a cost, however. Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand will both be missing when Luis de la Fuente's side take on Les Bleus.
When the situation was pointed out to ITV pundit Wright, the former Arsenal forward expressed his frustration that yellow cards were not wiped out until after quarter-final matches. Both players saw their bookings come in the second and fifth matches of the tournament.
"That’s ridiculous," said Wright. "We’re five games in now so you can get booked in the first game and then the fourth game and miss the semi-final.
"It’s too much. When these players [for Spain] settle down, some of them will realise they’re missing a semi-final."
Fellow pundit and ex- Manchester United captain Roy Keane was in agreement but had less sympathy. The former Sunderland boss believes the nature of the cautions meant there cannot be too much cause for complained.
"They won’t be too worried in the dressing room," he said. "You’ve won the game and you’ve got a squad of players. You have to deal with. It could be worse, you could miss a final. At least there’s an opportunity to get to the final.
"I do agree but players know the rules and there were some daft yellow cards there, you can’t defend them that much."
Carvajal, in some ways negated his second booking by picking up another in the dying moments of the match. The Real Madrid veteran was given his marching orders for a cynical foul in stoppage time.
Whether he will go on to miss the final if Spain progress that far has been a cause of debate. UEFA rules for an accumulation of bookings and a sending off both refer to the 'next game'.
UEFA’s Euro 2024 rules state: “As a rule, a player or a team official sent off from the field of play and/or its immediate surrounds, including the technical area, is automatically suspended for the next match in the competition. In case of serious offences, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body is entitled to augment this punishment, including by extending it to other competitions.”
Likewise, the accumulation of cards sees a suspension for ‘the next match in the competition’.
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