James who picked up a straight red card after her action, will now miss England’s next three matches
By Kehinde Okeowo
England forward, Lauren James, has incurred the wrath of many football fans after her indiscretion during the 2023 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 tie between the Lionesses and the Super Falcons on Monday.
The Chelsea striker during the encounter stepped on the back of Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie and was given the marching orders in the 87th minute by the referee after a VAR review.
England, despite playing the remaining minutes of the match with 10 players, held on to win the shootout 4-2 and progressed into the quarter-finals, where they will face either Jamaica or Colombia.
But with the red card, the 21-year-old forward will now miss England’s next three matches, meaning she is unlikely to take part in the rest of the tournament.
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After the game, the Englishwoman came under fire from a cross-section of football fans on Twitter, who felt she was reckless.
Many of the netizens chastised Lauren for exhibiting such unprofessional behavior, while others urged her to apologize to Alozie.
A Twitter user, @Am_Blujay wrote: “Lauren James must send a personal apology to this Nigerian player. This is so foul and unprofessional from a player of her caliber.”
Another internet user, @itsleeswhag said; “This was not a mistake, Lauren James knew exactly what she was doing.”
@osasuo added: “This silly action of @England@Lionesses forward Lauren James is going to ensure that she doesn’t play any further role in the #FIFAWWC.”
Another netizen, @peterkingdom182 tweeted: “Typical Chelsea player.”
@abdoulyeroo said: “Very arrogant of her… Very Silly and Unnecessary thing to do! She deserved that red card!”
While @MinhajL88844 wrote: “Big headed. It runs in the family.”