Rule out

This week’s English for football is to rule out – to rule something out. This phrase means to eliminate, not choose, or exclude. It is used in football in a variety of situations. For example, the England defender John Terry has an injury that may rule him out of the game against Kazakhstan. His injury is bad, therefore he may not play. Michael Owen was not chosen for England’s team this weekend, but that doesn’t rule him out from appearing in the future. He may be chosen next time. Recently there has been talk about Liverpool and Everton sharing a ground, but most people rule this idea out, they don’t think it will happen. But with the current economic situation we can’t rule out some clubs having major financial problems. To rule out.
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