Wayne Rooney will use the two-match ban handed to Russia's Andrey Arshavin at Euro 2008 as the cornerstone of his appeal against the longer suspension he received for kicking out at Montenegro's Miodrag Dzudovic in England's final Euro 2012 qualifier last month.

Rooney accepts the blame for that moment of petulance but feels he should not be treated more harshly than Arshavin, who was sent off for violent conduct against Andorra in Russia's final qualifier before the European finals four years ago.

Plea: Wayne Rooney hopes to have his ban reduced by UEFA

Rooney is appealing against UEFA's three-match ban that would force him to miss the group games next summer in Poland and Ukraine.

He is ready to travel to Switzerland to speak to the appeal panel and the Arshavin factor is uppermost in his mind.

The Manchester United star said: 'It's hard for me. It was a stupid thing to do, but missing three games is a harsh punishment. The one thing which is disappointing is that Arshavin got two games for the same thing. I don't see any difference to what I did so I don't really understand that.'

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