Rooney handed two-match ban

England forward Wayne Rooney will miss his country's opening two UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers after being suspended for two competitive matches and fined 5,000 Swiss francs (€3,200) by FIFA's disciplinary committee.

Quarter-final defeat
Rooney was sent off during England's FIFA World Cup quarter-final defeat against Portugal after treading on Ricardo Carvalho. The act was adjudged "violent play" by referee Horacio Elizondo, who takes charge of Sunday's final between France and Italy.

Old Trafford date
The Manchester United FC player must now sit out the Group E matches against Andorra at Old Trafford on 2 September and away at F.Y.R. Macedonia on 6 September. The two-match sanction means that if England had won their quarter-final, the 20-year-old would have been ruled out of the rest of the tournament.

Argentinians sanctioned
The world governing body also banned Argentina players Leadro Cufré and Maxi Rodríguez for four and two matches respectively following their involvement in a confrontation with Germany players after the teams' quarter-final, which the host nation won on penalties.