6 Nov 2011

England to appeal Rooney ban

11:44 am on 6 November 2011

England football officials have decided to appeal appeal against the three-match ban imposed on England striker Wayne Rooney by UEFA after his sending-off against Montenegro in a Euro 2012 qualifier last month.

As it stands, the suspension for kicking Montenegro defender Miodrag Dzudovic would rule Rooney out of the group stage of next year's European Championship.

Dzudovic has sent an email to UEFA saying he believes the three-match was too severe.

Meanwhile the England coach Fabio Capello has assured a remorseful Rooney he will be selected for next year's competition.

Rooney had hoped to also play against world champions Spain in next weekend's friendly at Wembley, but has now been told by Capello he'll be left out of the squad as Capello plans to use the friendlies as an opportunity to experiment with combinations.