England: Clubs will not release players in the qualifiers in the red list countries

The Premier League, England’s top division football, said its clubs had “reluctantly but unanimously” decided not to allow players out for matches in countries listed in the UK’s Covid-19 red list for the next round of World Cup qualifiers. world in September.

According to UK guidelines, anyone returning from one of the Red List countries must be quarantined for 10 days, which means players could miss many matches for their clubs.

The Premier League says these quarantine measures will apply to nearly 60 players from 19 clubs who travel to the 26 countries on the red list.

Argentina, Brazil and Egypt are among the countries currently on the UK’s red list, which means star players like Mohamed Salah and AlisonIs Liverpool, eh? Gabriel Jesus NS Ederson, Manchester City, affected.

Monday , The Egyptian Football Association said it had received a message from Liverpool He explained that Salah will not be available for the World Cup qualifiers in Cairo against Angola on September 2.

The club’s decision, which the Premier League claims has “strong support”, comes in response to FIFA’s decision not to extend the temporary release exemption for players who must be removed upon their return from their international roles.

FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment CNN.

The Premier League said, in a statement, that “extensive discussions have taken place with the Football Association (FA), the body that controls football in England, and the government to find a solution” but no exceptions were granted.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: “Premier League clubs have always supported their players’ desire to represent their countries – and this is a source of pride for all involved.”

“However, the clubs, grudgingly but with good reason, have come to the conclusion that it would not be entirely reasonable to release players in these new circumstances. Quarantine requirements mean that players’ health and fitness will be significantly affected. We understand the challenges in the match calendar. We remain open to viable solutions.”

The Premier League has made it clear that if a player is forced into a 10-day quarantine, he will not be “available to prepare and play in two rounds of Premier League matches, a UEFA club competition and the third round of the European Football Association Cup”.

The Spanish Football League will also support clubs that refuse to release their players to participate in the South American qualifiers.

“There are currently 25 players from 13 different teams (affected), a number that can be increased when invitations to Ecuador and Venezuela are announced,” the association said in a statement.

“The Spanish Society understands that the world calendar cannot and should not be changed in this way, especially if there are alternative solutions.”

FIFA also recently announced that it has extended the international tour by two days for South American teams, in order to allow teams to be evenly matched in the World Cup qualifiers.

And the English Premier League expressed its “dissatisfaction” with the decision, saying that it “imposes additional international obligations on players in that region, at the expense of their willingness to represent their clubs.”

“FIFA has been called upon to work with all parties involved to ensure a positive outcome on this matter.”

(translated text; Read the original text In English)