Latam WCup qualifiers in doubt as clubs talk tough
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This month鈥檚 World Cup qualifiers in South America are in serious doubt, with European clubs unlikely to release their players to travel amid concern over the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine restrictions.
World soccer鈥檚 governing body FIFA has relaxed its normal rules about player-release for internationals because of the pandemic and worries about the impact of long-distance travel to areas with high-case rates. Clubs are expected to keep their players at home.
All 10 South American countries feature on the United Kingdom government鈥檚 鈥渞ed list鈥 travel ban, which does not include exemptions for athletes and sports people. Any UK-based players who played in the games would face 10 days in hotel quarantine on return.
That in itself makes it difficult for clubs to consider agreeing to South American confederation CONMEBOL鈥檚 requests.
鈥淚 think everybody agrees 鈥 we can鈥檛 let the players go and play for their country and then quarantine for 10 days in a hotel. That鈥檚 not how we can do it,鈥 said Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp, whose team includes Brazilian trio Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino.
CONMEBOL, which organizes the qualifiers in the region for the 2022 World Cup, wants clubs to release their players for the March 25 and 30 games, but it is running out of options.
CONMEBOL鈥檚 council will meet today to discuss the situation and is in contact with FIFA as it searches for a solution.
But CONMEBOL is reluctant to play the games without European-based players and has not considered moving the fixtures to 鈥渂ubbles鈥 in Europe. It faces a scheduling problem, however as its continental championship, Copa America, is set for June in Argentina and Colombia.
With 14 rounds of matches still to be completed in the World Cup qualifying process, which is due to end in March 2022, there is limited space for the games.
鈥淚t is difficult to postpone the FIFA dates, there is no space, you cannot tighten the qualifiers,鈥 Ecuador FA president Francisco Egas told local Radio La Red.
鈥淭here is strong pressure from European clubs not to give up their players for the qualifiers. FIFA must be in the middle to help get an understanding.鈥
However, FIFA has limited influence. Quarantine rules are set by national governments.
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has struck a similar tone to Klopp.
鈥淲e鈥檝e not sat down and made a proper call on that one, but it doesn鈥檛 make sense if you lose your player for 10 days of isolation, of course it doesn鈥檛,鈥 Solskjaer said on Wednesday.
Solskjaer鈥檚 squad includes Brazilians Fred and Alex Telles along with Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani.
鈥淲e鈥檙e the ones paying the players, and from what I understand FIFA have given the rules that they don鈥檛 have to be released. So I would think that鈥檚 going to be a hard call to make to let them go and play in red-list countries, yeah.鈥
One option could be to play the games just before the June 11 start to the Copa America. One source indicated CONMEBOL may ask FIFA to create a special extra 鈥渨indow鈥 for rearranged games.
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