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The coach of the England national team, Fabio Capello, insists he did not make a mistake by allowing Wayne Rooney to play in the match against Montenegro.
Before Saturday's match, there were talks that Rooney might not be in the right mindset for the game, as just a few days earlier the police had arrested his father in a gambling scandal.
Capello decided to let the forward onto the field, but he regretted this decision - the footballer was sent off the field for a unsportsmanlike tackle on opponent defender Miodrag Dzudovic.
"It wasn't a mistake to let him play," said the Italian. "Wayne made a foolish mistake by lunging at the opponent, so he will miss the first match of the European Championship finals stage as he will be suspended. Before the match, he was relaxed and calm, but now he regrets what he did."
And he added: "Rooney is a very important player with a lot of experience. Sometimes we don't understand why such mistakes are made, but it happens."
The match ended in a 2-2 draw, a result that was enough for England to secure a ticket to the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine.
Rooney was shown a red card.
