Andrews out of opening Ireland qualifier

Midfielder Keith Andrews will be suspended for the Republic of Ireland's opening 2014 FIFA World Cup™ qualifier following his sending-off at UEFA EURO 2012. An irate Andrews was given his marching orders for a second yellow card late on in the Republic's final group game against Italy as they crashed out of the tournament without a point. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) this afternoon confirmed Andrews' one-match ban, with a further match suspended until after qualification for EURO 2016. The 31-year-old will therefore miss the Republic's opener away to Kazakhstan on 7 September. "The Football Association of Ireland today confirmed that UEFA's Control and Disciplinary Committee has given Keith Andrews a two-match suspension with the second match suspended for a probationary period," an FAI statement read. "The probationary period starts from the beginning of the EURO 2016 qualifying round until the end of play-offs of that tournament. The finding comes after the Committee considered the referee's report and a submission from the FAI in relation to the sending-off incident which occurred in the match against Italy on 18 June. "Effectively, this means that Andrews will miss the opening World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan in September but will be eligible for the opening home World Cup 2014 qualification match against Germany in October." FIFA.