Furious Sampson is given the elbow as FIFA decide this wasn’t a bad challenge

FRANCE midfielder Camille Abily will not be punished for the elbow that laid out England’s Laura Bassett after FIFA ruled there was no case to answer.

The FA had earlier decided not to make a formal complaint despite manager Mark Sampson being furious at the incident but FIFA’S disciplinary committee could still have pursued the issue.

Abily poleaxed the Notts Count y defender 20 minutes from the end of the Women’s World Cup clash between the teams on Tuesday which England lost 1-0. Bassett was left with heavy bruising to the face and Sampson, asked if he felt Abily should have been sent off, replied: “A look at Laura will answer the question.”

Sampson added: “We were told before the tournament we would be protected if we abide by the rules, we have been let down and so has Laura Bassett.”

However, a FIFA spokesman told Standard Sport: “We can confirm that no complaint has been received and upon review of the matter it wass deterdetermined that there are no grounds to open proceedings.”

FIFA have taken retrospectivee video action against players in the past.t. At the 1994 men’s World Cup Italy’s Mauro Tassotti was banned for eight matches after breaking the nose of currentent Bar-Barcelona manager Luis Enrique — an incident not seen by the refereee at the time. According to FIFA stat-atute, the organisation’s disciplinaryry committee “is responsible foror

t sanctioning serious infringements which have escaped the match officials’ attention”.

It is not clear whether the ref-feree, Greece’s Efthalia Mitsi,, claimed she saw the incident, though the FIFA spokesperson did make the point of adding “decisions of the referee regard-ing facts connected with play arere final”.

Bassett is expected to be fit to play in England’s next match, againstinst Mexico on Saturday.

England are likely to be muchuch more adventurous than in thee 1-0