Lauren James told she will "regret" sending off after "red mist descended"
England Women icon Sue Smith has said Lauren James' red card is a mistake the young Chelsea star will regret after standing on Nigerian player Michelle Alozie.
James, who was sent off in the 87th minute in England's game against Nigeria in the round of 16, has released a statement following her actions, apologising to Alozie, the fans and her team-mates.
The FA have also responded today, stating James has support from the England team and while her actions are described by them as 'wholly out of character', she feels 'full remorse'.
Former Lioness Sue Smith has spoken about the incident, while the decision is yet to be made on whether James' ban will be just the one game or three - the latter meaning she would miss the rest of the tournament.
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror on behalf of Paddy Power, the Lioness legend said Lauren James will regret the incident, but the main thing is she will learn from it.
Earps reacts to FIFA Best nomination and on season so far with Man Utd
“Lauren James was having the tournament of her life. With three goals and three assists, she was the real standout out player in the tournament," Smith said.
“She's been absolutely brilliant, and she took the tournament by storm. Everyone was talking about her because of her goals and the quality that she showed.
“She'll be absolutely gutted [about the stamp]. It was just one of those moments where the red mist descended. A lot of players will talk about that moment in their career where they just think, ‘Oh, why did I do that?’ And it's just an instant reaction.
“She would’ve been frustrated that she wasn’t getting on the ball as much as she would have liked, and she’ll regret it. She's a nice person and I can't imagine for one second that she would have wanted to hurt Michelle Alozie, she was just really frustrated.
“She's still young and she'll learn from it. It's not an experience that you necessarily want but it's one that she’ll learn from."
James marches down the tunnel after her red card (Sajad Imanian/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)Something most players on the pitch won't be used to is the use of VAR in the tournament, with Smith highlighting that players have nowhere to hide: “Also, in the WSL we're not used to VAR and having cameras absolutely everywhere meaning anything that you do will get picked up on," she continued.
“For Lauren, it's a tough learning experience, but it's one that she'll look back on and wonder why she did it. But at the same time, hopefully it'll never happen again and that's where you need your experienced players to put their arm around her and say ‘let's learn from it, and let's move on.’ She's developed a really good relationship with Lucy Bronze who’s very experienced so hopefully she'll help her get through that.
“I'm just so glad that England progressed, because there would have been a lot more backlash if they didn't.”
Smith also said England must be at their best to beat Colombia in the quarter-final at the weekend.
“I watched Colombia in the tournament and it’s going to be another difficult game for the Lionesses. Colombia deserved to go through against Jamaica, and they were the better side in the second half," she said.
Man Utd boss Skinner sends firm message to Arsenal over Russo contract saga
“They have good individual players and Linda Caicedo is one of the standout players in the tournament so far. She seems to have come alive, and she's got the ability to create something out of out of nothing. Out of Colombia and Jamaica, Colombia are probably the team that England didn't want to face in the next round. The way that they beat Germany, they seemed to have a belief and a confidence about them where they believe that they can go and beat them.
“They were at their best today, but they'll enjoy being the underdogs against England. They’ll like it and thrive on that. They've got a really good fan base and will make it as loud and intimidating for England as possible.
“But they're another quite aggressive side like Nigeria who caused England some issues. It's going to be another tough game but it’s one that England are favourites to win. England have to be at their best to progress to the next round.”
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
