Rooney wins ban appeal

Wayne Rooney's ban has been reduced to two games on appeal, with the third game suspended for four years.

Wayne Rooney: Reduced ban, and can take his place in England's 23-man squad

UEFA's Disciplinary and Control Body handed Rooney a three-match ban after his petulant kick at Montenegro's Miodrag Dzudovic in England's final Euro 2012 qualifier in October. England had appealed against the severity of the ban.

With no more competitive games for England before next summer's finals in Ukraine and Poland, Rooney would have missed the group stage of the tournament. Now he will miss the opening games against France and Sweden and will be available for the final group game against Ukraine in Donetsk.

The third game of the suspension will still kick in if Rooney is guilty of violent conduct in the next four years. He will also undertake football in the community work as part of the ban reduction.

UEFA said in a statement: "The UEFA Appeals Body has reduced a suspension imposed on England striker Wayne Rooney at a hearing in Nyon.

"The Appeals Body today decided that the player's red card during the UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier in Montenegro on Friday 7 October should incur a two-match suspension, with a further one-game ban for UEFA European Championship football only suspended for four years, instead of the three-match ban handed down by UEFA's Control and Disciplinary Body on 13 October.

"Rooney, who will also spend a day supporting a UEFA project as part of the sentence, was sent off in the 74th minute of the 2-2 Group G draw in Podgorica. He will be banned for England's opening two UEFA EURO 2012 matches against France and Sweden but will be eligible for the final Group D fixture against Ukraine."

The third game of the suspension will only be activated if Rooney is sent off for violent conduct in a European Championships match over the next four years. That will only encompass next summer's finals and qualifying for Euro 2016.