England striker Wayne Rooney has been handed a two-match ban by Fifa following his sending off in the World Cup quarter final against Portugal, meaning he will miss the European Championship qualifiers against Andorra and Macedonia. The Manchester United star was shown the red card by referee Horacio Elizondo following an apparent stamp on Chelsea's Ricardo Carvalho before The Three Lions were dumped out of the tournament on penalties.
Rooney pleaded his innocence following the controversial scenes in Gelsenkirchen and was backed by The Football Association against a charge of violent conduct. England governing body pleaded with Fifa's disciplinary commission to show lenience, and the striker has now been dealt a two game suspension along with a fine to the value of 5,000 Swiss Francs (£2,200) after being found guilty.
As a result incoming England boss Steve McClaren will be without the services of the star for the European Championship qualifiers against Andorra at Old Trafford on September 2 and away in Macedonia on September 6.
The FA have accepted the verdict from Fifa, with director of communications Adrian Bevington voicing the governing body's happiness at the way the case has been handled.
"We have just received this decision from Fifa and we believe the case has been dealt with fairly and we accept the decision," said Bevington.
After being found guilty of violent conduct Rooney could have suffered a more substantial punishment, but he will now aim to make his return to competitive action in the home game against Macedonia on October 7.
Am I the only one who think this is unfair? They are saying he was guilty and accept the punishment! I still say he didn't stamp on anyone. The player made a remarkable recovery.