Manchester United: Why Wayne Rooney Should Be Banned for Euro '12 Group Stage

England center forward Wayne Rooney once again allowed his frustration get the best of him Friday night during a rain-soaked European qualifier against Montenegro.

The No. 10's impetuous decision resulted in a straight red card, sending the Manchester United forward off with England holding onto a precarious 2-1 lead late in the second half. Montenegro would grab an equalizer at the death, resulting in a 2-2 draw.

The result was enough to see the Three Lions through to Euro 2012 as their group winners, but Rooney's lack of judgment cast a pall on what should have otherwise been an evening for celebrating.

Where have we heard about that before?

After starting the game so brightly—Rooney had employed his inimitable style on the ball from the get-go, dropping into deeper-lying positions behind fellow striker Darren Bent in order to get consistent touches. He was running at the defense while combining his vintage side-to-side movement with aplomb.

His link-up play had been excellent; everything looked good. It was little surprise that midway through the first half, England were enjoying a comfortable 2-0 lead on the backs (or in Ashley Young's case—head) of two well-taken goals by Young and Bent.

Yet the host side slowly but surely marshaled its forces and began mounting a furious comeback. England, so dominant in possession in the first half, began to defend for their lives. Rooney was starved of touches during the second half, and he began to vent his frustration at that development.

What had been gradually building finally boiled over when, after mishandling a pass and dribble, Rooney lashed out in fury, taking an vicious swipe at the back of Miodrag Dzudovic's legs.

The Montenegran sent himself flying into the air—a wonderful display of aerial prowess from the otherwise grounded player—but it mattered little how much of that lunge was simulation. Rooney should never have made himself the blatant perpetrator in the instance.

A straight red card was the result. Rooney will now miss England's next competitive match, which happens to be their first in the Euro 2012 group stages.

Adding fuel to the fearful fire, Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has voiced his personal belief that UEFA, Europe's football governing body, could mete out a two-match ban in the group stages against Rooney.

For a soon-to-be 26-year-old man (his birthday is Oct. 24) and supposed leader of this team, Rooney's behavior was inexcusable. Should the Three Lions struggle during their start to group stage play, the finger pointing will inevitably begin with the No. 10.

Some have rushed to Rooney's defense in the wake of the expulsion, pointing to the psychological toll the news that his father, arrested in a betting probe this past week, must have weighed heavily on his mind and possibly provided an explanation for his rush of blood.

That shocking news may well have played a role, but Robbie Mustoe, doing color commentary for ESPN's broadcast of the match, said it best.

"No matter what is happening off the pitch," Mustoe—a former player himself—reasoned, "you simply cannot let it affect your play like that. Rooney is a human being, and like anyone, would be affected deeply by that development. But football is football. You have to push those thoughts aside for 90 minutes."

Just as he did in the World Cup 2006 quarterfinals, when his rush of blood to the head against Portugal culminated in him stamping on Ricardo Carvalho's private area—earning the native Liverpudlian a straight red and sending-off just when England needed him most—Rooney's temper has once more put his national team at risk.

England do have the quality to cope without him—Danny Welbeck, Rooney's teammate at United, looked very good in coming on as a substitute during the Montenegro match—but there is no denying that Rooney is one of the most, if not the most, important player within the squad. The team will not be at its optimum without him.

A listless or injured Rooney has long been a reason behind the Three Lions' struggles in major tournaments (his slow recovery from a late-season metatarsal injury marred World Cup 2006, when Rooney was a shell of his true self, and he looked positively cooked in 2010 South Africa after a long, grueling season with United that had started brilliantly, but tapered off precipitously toward the end).

His transcendent temper, so long the focus of rumor and debate, has infuriated coaches and colleagues for years now. And he has obviously shown no ability to control it.

Most declared that he would grow out of those tantrums, simply through the maturation process that accompanies age.

Yet Friday showed that that is far from the case. The man loses his head (not his hair, thankfully, after that follicle transplant last spring) at the most inopportune moments. Obviously, every player has lost his temper at some moment or another, but to do it with the frequency of Rooney is unmanageable and untenable for England's prospects.

Should he be punished internally for his antics? Would that finally teach him a lesson? Sometimes people learn best when that which they love most is taken away from them.

Were the Football Association—the English governing body—to take additional action against Rooney (suspend him through the group stages), would Rooney finally get the hint?

That is excessive force, but if the man hasn't stopped his childish exploits as of yet, perhaps a measure of punishment of that magnitude is what is needed to finally reach him and exact change.