England to appeal ban

The Tottenham man was shown a red card by referee Knut Kircher for using foul and abusive language during the fractious 2-0 win in Nijmegen.

The two-match ban means Huddlestone will miss England's semi-final against the Netherlands as well as the final if they get there.

Manager Stuart Pearce said England wanted the suspension reduced to s single match, freeing him up for Saturday's final.

"We are attempting to appeal the length of the ban, we are hoping for that to be reduced to one match," he said. "We are not going to appeal what he said, which was a sending off offence."

The match was marred by racist abuse of England's black players by Serbian fans, as well as accusations of racism against Serbian players and a scuffle in the tunnel.

Pearce said he did not back calls to throw Serbia out of the competition since the players were not responsible for their fans' actions.

UEFA will not deal with Serbia until after the tournament is over.

"As a Serbia player I would be disappointed to be kicked out of the tournament for something that was not in their hands."

FOLLOW LIVE COVERAGE OF NETHERLANDS v ENGLAND FROM 17:15 UK TIME ON TUESDAY