Lauren James apologises for World Cup red card
- Lauren James sent off for England vs Nigeria
- Lionesses star apologises for incident
- FIFA expected to increase her one-game ban
England forward Lauren James has apologised for getting sent off during the team's tense World Cup last 16 clash with Nigeria on Monday.
James was dismissed in the closing stages of normal time following an altercation with Nigeria's Michelle Alozie. The Chelsea star, who had been marked out of the game, momentarily allowed frustration to get the better of her and ended up deliberately stepping on her opponent's back.
The incident was initially punished with a yellow card until a VAR review prompted referee Melissa Borjas to take a second look on the pitchside monitor. Upon seeing what had happened in more detail, the Honduran official rescinded the yellow card and produced a red instead.
England completed extra-time without James and eventually won on penalties - their first shootout in a major international tournament in 12 years.
The 21-year-old, who was England's best player during the group stage with a direct involvement in six of the eight goals the team scored, is suspended for a minimum of one game. That alone means she will be absent for the quarter-final against Colombia on Saturday, although there is a distinct possibility that the suspension could be increased to three games by FIFA. In which case, James would miss the remainder of the World Cup, even if England make it all the way to the final.
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"Lauren is really sorry for her actions which led to the red card and is full of remorse. It is wholly out of character for her," a statement from the England camp read.
"We will be supporting Lauren throughout and will be putting forward representation on her behalf. We fully respect FIFA's disciplinary process and will not be making any further comment until after any decision has been made."
James has also taken to social media to directly apologise to Alozie for her behaviour.
"All my love and respect to you. I am sorry for what happened," she said. "Also, for our England fans and my teammates, playing with and for you is my greatest honour and I promise to learn from my experience."