Neil Taylor, the Wales defender, has been suspended for two games for the tackle which left the Republic of Ireland captain, Séamus Coleman, with a double leg break.
Taylor was sent off in the second half of the goalless World Cup qualifying match between the Republic and Wales at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on 24 March and was due to serve an automatic one-match suspension.
Fifa’s disciplinary committee has increased the sanction, however, meaning the Aston Villa full-back, part of the Wales side that reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016 last summer, will miss the World Cup qualifier in Serbia on 11 June and the home game against Austria on 2 September.
In a statement the Football Association of Wales said: “Following a meeting of Fifa’s disciplinary committee the FAW can confirm that Neil Taylor has been suspended for two matches. He is regarded as having breached art 48 of the Fifa disciplinary code.”
Taylor’s sanction came on the day the Burnley midfielder Joey Barton was banned by the Foootball Association for 18 months after he admitted a misconduct charge related to betting. Barton is alleged to have placed 1,260 bets on football matches between March 2006 and May 2013.
Coleman’s injury, so bad that television broadcasters chose not to replay footage of Taylor’s tackle, left the Everton full-back facing a lengthy rehabilitation period.
The 28-year-old had surgery the day after the match and stayed in Ireland at the start of his recovery. Everton’s manager, Ronald Koeman, and the captain, Phil Jagielka, visited Coleman at his home in Killybegs, County Donegal, this month.
Coleman will be sidelined until next season but may be back running by August if things go to plan. He returned to Merseyside this week and told evertontv: “It’s great to be back, nice to see everyone again – it’s like my first day all over again. . Obviously I’d rather be fit and well but I’ve had a good month in Ireland to get my head around everything and now I’m ready to get back to work.
“I’ve had tough journeys in the past. It hasn’t been a smooth one to play for Everton and to captain my country. I’m a fighter and there’s a part of me that’s looking forward to this challenge. It’s something to start all over again and fight for.”
Coleman was grateful for the hundreds of messages of support he has received from well-wishers and the unexpected visit from Koeman and Jagielka.
“Until something like this happens you don’t always realise how fortunate you are to play for this club, to play for the national team and to have all that support behind me,” he added.
“The manager came over to see me with Jags and a couple of staff members. [The Republic manager] Martin O’Neill came over to see me as well, so the support has been brilliant.”