Updated 11.45
WAYNE ROONEY WILL be free to play in England’s final Euro 2012 group game following a successful appeal against his three-match international ban.
The striker was hit with the suspension when he was sent off in England’s penultimate qualifier against Montenegro, but won his case to have it reduced to two games following a disciplinary hearing at UEFA headquarters in Nyon this morning.
The decision means that Rooney will now be available for England’s potentially decisive game against Ukraine in Donetsk on 19 June.
The final game of the ban has been suspended for four years. A UEFA spokesman confirmed to BBC Sport that it will only be reinstated if Rooney is sent off in a European Championship match and that it would not be affected by his disciplinary record in the remainder of this season’s Europa League.
The news comes as a welcome boost just hours after Manchester United crashed out of this year’s Champions League with a shock 2-1 defeat away to Basel.
Both Manchester clubs finished third in their respective groups, leaving them to ponder the bitter reality of Thursday night football in the Europa League knockout stages after Christmas.
disgusting…..
Wont make any difference Vincent, Spain will hand them (and maybe us! :( ) their arse!
dont understand this outburst of `outrage and disgust` about the decision. Is it a case of he being a Man Utd player, or because he is an English player or is it because their seems to be some smell of double standards? Fact is the rules are there for any player/club to appeal against decisions, if they happen to go your way then happy days,if not and further punishment is doled out then you got to suck that up as well. If dear Harry Rednapp was England Manager ,I have no doubt he would follow the same appeal procedure if he thought there was a possibility of having one of his better players available. Or for that fact if he was Manager of any National Team.