UEFA to hear Rooney appeal 3-match ban on Dec. 9

UEFA to hear Rooney appeal 3-match ban on Dec. 9

Published Nov. 15, 2011 3:54 p.m. ET

England forward Wayne Rooney's appeal against his three-match international ban will be on Dec. 9.

Rooney is trying to reduce his suspension which currently rules him out of the entire group stage at the 2012 European Championship in Poland and Ukraine.

England will already know its opponents and schedule when UEFA's appeals panel meets to decide the case.

UEFA conducts the 16-team draw on Dec. 2 in Kiev, Ukraine.

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Rooney was sent off in England's last Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro in October for kicking defender Miodrag Dzudovic.

England hoped UEFA's disciplinary panel would see the incident as an act of petulance but it was judged to be an assault.

Rooney is expected to appear in person to help lawyers present his case before the appeals panel.

Dzudovic has denied reports that he wrote to UEFA in support of Rooney's defense.

This month, Rooney took responsibility for the incident.

''Obviously, it's devastating for me but it's something that's my own fault, so I can't really complain,'' he said. ''It was stupid by me. I regretted it as soon as I did it. It's no excuse, but I still feel the punishment is a bit harsh. I'm disappointed with it.''

In previous cases, UEFA's independent appeals panel has relaxed punishments by deferring one match of the ban for a player or coach to show good behavior in future.

The Manchester United forward will hope to get a reduced two-match ban based on UEFA's handling of a similar case involving Russia forward Andrei Arshavin four years ago.

Arshavin was sent off for violent conduct in the 84th minute of a decisive qualifier against Andorra. Russia won 1-0 to advance to Euro 2008 ahead of England.

UEFA imposed a two-match ban on Arshavin, which carried over to the final tournament in Austria and Switzerland.

Arshavin then became one of the standout stars of Euro 2008, leading Russia to the semifinals.

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