Former England captain Alan Shearer said Wayne Rooney's suspension from the group stage of Euro 2012 was a "huge blow" on Friday as the English FA officials mulled their response to the ban.
Rooney was given a hefty three-match suspension by UEFA on Thursday following his dismissal for violent conduct in England's qualifier with Montenegro in Podgorica last Friday.
The ban means Rooney will miss all of England's first round matches at next year's finals in Poland and Ukraine, leaving manager Fabio Capello with a selection conundrum ahead of the finals.
"It's a huge blow. It's not only a huge blow to the team, to the fans and to football followers but to Wayne himself because he realises he's made a stupid error," Shearer told BBC radio.
"I still think whoever replaces him in the team, England still should have enough to get through the three games without him."
The English FA said it would await the written verdict from Thursday's ruling before deciding whether or not to risk an appeal, which could result in Rooney's ban being increased if unsuccessful.
The severity of Rooney's suspension surprised many footballers and pundits, with former team-mate Phil Neville branding it a joke.
"Rooney banned for three games what a joke- if it was a Dutch Spanish Italian german player they wouldn't even get 1 game fact," Neville wrote on Twitter.
