Manchester United and Liverpool could ban their players from international duty in the forthcoming international break if they have to quarantine when they return.
Jürgen Klopp has warned he will not allow his stars to join up with their countries with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saying his club have a “hard call to make”.
In the UK at present, anyone returning from coronavirus “red list” countries is required to quarantine for 10 days. Fifa, world football’s governing body, has ruled that clubs can prevent players from leaving if they need to quarantine for five days or more on their return.
Portugal, all of South America and parts of southern Africa are part of the UK’s “red list” of countries.
That would impact Liverpool’s Brazilian trio of Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino as well as Portuguese forward Diogo Jota and his compatriot at Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes.
It could also effect Sadio Mané, with Senegal due to play Congo and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and Naby Keïta, with Guinea scheduled to play in Namibia.
“The players are paid by the clubs so that means we have to be the first priority,” Klopp said. “Everyone agrees that we cannot let the players go and come back and quarantine for 10 days in a hotel – that’s not how we can do it.
“I understand the need of the different associations but it is a time where you cannot make everybody happy. We are not 100 per cent sure because it’s not clear as some countries might change the venues where they play. You always have to wait until the last second pretty much because people need time to make decisions.
“In England, it is all going in the right direction and looks positive and promising. But we are concerned about these kind of things. All the things that happened [with players testing positive] from a virus point of view was when someone had to leave the bubble.”
Speaking after United’s goalless draw with Crystal Palace, Solskjaer added: “We have not sat down and made a proper call on that one but it doesn’t make sense if you lose your player for 10 days’ isolation.
“We are the ones paying the players… Fifa have given the rule that they don’t have to be released, so it is going to be a hard call to make to let them play in red-list countries.”
Portugal are scheduled to face Azerbaijan, Serbia and Luxembourg on 24, 27 and 30 March respectively in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
Fernandes could miss United’s Premier League home game against Brighton & Hove Albion (2 April) and away game at Tottenham Hotspur (10 April) if he has to isolate for 10 days on returning from Portugal.
“I want Bruno ready for Brighton and hopefully we will be through in Europe and against Tottenham after that break,” Solskjaer added.
Nuno Espirito Santo, meanwhile, will not stop Wolves’ players representing their countries – but criticised the “mess” it has caused.
Rui Patricio, Nelson Semedo, Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Pedro Neto will all have to quarantine too if they go on international duty with Portugal.
The Portuguese FA are trying to move the game to a country outside the “red list” to allow their stars to train and play that match elsewhere.
“Imagine the confusion in organising all these players coming from all over Europe to join different teams – and not being able to go to your own country to prepare for the matches,” Nuno said. “See the mess it’s created.”
Nuno added: “What we expect is direction from Premier League and the Government to tell managers what we can do.”
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3rsPEKo
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