FA issue a plea for Rooney red card leniency
Published 23:01 08/10/11 By Simon Mullock
The FA will issue a plea for leniency in the latest case of Wayne Rooney’s red card shame.
England bosses accept that Rooney was rightly sent-off during Friday night’s Euro 2012 qualifier in Montenegro.
But the belief among the FA, and other leading Euro officials, is that Rooney was guilty of petulance rather than violent conduct.
Rooney will be given a minimum one-match ban and miss the start of next summer’s European Championships. But that ban may be increased by UEFA’s disciplinary commission. And the FA’s legal team are already working on their case for Roo’s defence.
FA chiefs are ready to personally attend any UEFA hearing or provide written evidence from the England star to keep any ban to a minimum.
Referee Wolfgang Stark will mention in his report that after being shown the red card Rooney left the field in a dignified manner and accepted the ref’s decision.
England insiders say that there was a very different Rooney awaiting his team-mates in the dressing-room compared with his previous moment of red card madness when he was sent off for stamping on Ricardo Carvalho (right) at the 2006 World Cup finals.
On Friday night, Rooney was more mature and apologetic about what had happened and concerned about limiting the damage.
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