Lauren James seen at Sydney Airport

Stony-faced Lauren James is seen with her teammates at Sydney airport after it emerged she apologised to fellow Lionesses in dressing room after red card which could see her miss rest of Women’s World Cup

Lioness golden girl Lauren James was spotted with her teammates in Sydney Airport today after it emerged she apologised to them in the dressing room after being red carded for stamping on a Nigerian player. 

The stony-faced striker, 21, faces an anxious wait over whether her World Cup dream is over with FIFA yet to make a decision on the length of her suspension following yesterday’s incident. 

James, whose brother Reece also plays for England’s men’s squad, was initially given a yellow card for the foul, which was reminiscent of a young David Beckham’s infamous one which sent England crashing out of the 1998 World Cup.  

Players shown red cars at the tournament are automatically banned for one-game but more matches can be imposed on review. However, James could be forced to wait until after England’s quarter-final with Colombia or Jamaica on Saturday. 

Nigeria’s Deborah Abiodun is the only other player to have been shown a red card for violent conduct at the tournament.

Lauren James – seen in Sydney Airport today – faces an anxious wait over whether her World Cup dream is over with FIFA yet to make a decision on the length of her suspension

James could miss out the rest of the World Cup after being red carded for stamping on a Nigerian player back of Michelle Alozie (pictured)

Despite England going down to 10 players, the squad managed to cling on, weathering a determined Nigerian assault.

Sarina Wiegman substituted striker Alessia Russo for Chloe Kelly – who netted the victory goal during England’s Euros win last summer – as the game went into extra-time before going to penalties. 

READ MORE: Can Lionesses roar into World Cup semi-finals? England set up clash against either Colombia or Jamaica in next round after beating Nigeria 4-2 on penalties despite Lauren James red card

Once again, hero Kelly clinched the crucial match-winning strike with an emphatic spot-kick following in the footsteps of Bethany England, Alex Greenwood and Rachel Daly all scored.

But James’ hot-headed actions, which led to her being sent off, drew criticism from former England aces, pundits and fans alike.  

Retired Lionesses striker Ellen White blasted James for her actions. ‘It is disappointing,’ she said on the BBC’s coverage. ‘She was frustrated throughout the game and wasn’t in the game. There was no need for it.’ 

Fellow pundit, and Arsenal manager, Jonas Eidevall added: ‘You could see during the game she was making some bad decisions on and off the ball. The lack of subs from England surprised me. They should have been more proactive with the subs.’

James’s brash actions also drew criticism from former England striker Gary Lineker, who tweeted: ‘The @Lionesses down to 10 as Lauren James has a Beckhamesque moment of madness.’

‘I’m really disappointed,’ former Lionesses player Anita Asante said on BBC Radio 5 Live. ‘One act has kind of tarnished all the good work that Lauren James has done up until this point. 

James was initially given a yellow card for the offence – which was upgraded to a red after a video review 

James now has an automatic one-match ban – which could be extended to three games, meaning the rising stars’ tournament could be over, even if England were to progress further

Retired Lionesses striker Ellen White blasted James for her actions describing it as ‘disappointing’ (James is pictured on top of Alozie of Nigeria)

James’ hot-headed actions which led to her being sent off drew criticism from former England aces, pundits and fans (pictured is the referee reviewing the footage of the foul)

James is pictured walking off the pitch after being given a red card for fouling the Nigerian player 

Her actions saw former England striker Gary Lineker criticising her on social media for her ‘moment of madness’

‘She is a superstar and hopefully she will grow from this experience. Her team have now lost a player who has the ability to turn a game on its head.’

James’ moment of madness emulated previous England red cards at major tournaments.

David Beckham was sent off for kicking out at Argentina’s Diego Simeone at the 1998 World Cup, while striker Wayne Rooney was red carded for a stamp against Portugal at the 2006 World Cup.

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