Brazil to name squad as authorities try to avoid more quarantine chaos
Brazil to name a squad including Premier League players TODAY as football authorities try to strike deals to avoid more quarantine chaos… with talks ongoing over safe ‘bubbles’ for stars heading to red-list countries
- Premier League clubs are now open to letting their players fly to South America
- All the countries there remain on the red list, so quarantines would be needed
- Talks are ongoing in the hope of creating safe football ‘bubbles’ for some players
- Brazil will name their squad today and intend to call up several top-flight stars
Brazil will announce a squad today for their next three World Cup qualifiers as football’s authorities try to strike a deal with Governments to avoid a repeat of last month’s shambles.
Premier League clubs discussed the matter at the shareholders’ meeting on Thursday and are, in general, open to letting the players travel to South America where all countries remain on the red list, as long as they are exempt from the 10-day quarantine on their return.
Talks are ongoing with FIFA and the Government in the hope of establishing safe football ‘bubbles’ for all players facing international duty in red-list nations and once they return to the UK.
Brazil will name a squad today as football authorities try to avoid a repeat of quarantine chaos
Brazil boss Tite, who was without nine players not released by their six English clubs last month, intends to select a large squad including several players from the Premier League.
Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino and Everton’s Richarlison are injury doubts, and new Tottenham right-back Emerson Royal is in contention for a recall.
The Brazilian FA (CBF) have lodged a request with their Government and health authorities for any players travelling from the UK to be made exempt from the quarantine rules which forced this month’s World Cup qualifier against Argentina to be abandoned amid farcical scenes in Sao Paulo.
Tite, the Brazil manager, intends to call up several Premier League players for his large squad
The Brazil FA lodged a request for quarantine exemptions, but Richarlison is an injury doubt
Public health agents and police brought the game to a halt after only five minutes, demanding Argentina’s Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero of Spurs and Emi Martinez and Emi Buendia of Aston Villa went immediately into quarantine.
Argentina walked off the pitch and did not return. Lo Celso, Romero, Martinez and Buendia then spent 10 days in Croatia to avoid the strict hotel quarantine for those entering the UK from countries on the red list, as did Tottenham’s Davinson Sanchez, who played two games for Colombia.
Brazil lodged official complaints with FIFA about their unreleased players as did Paraguay, Mexico and Chile.
But, after a series of talks, these four countries dropped demands for the five-day ruling to be imposed which would have left Premier League clubs open to official sanctions had those players appeared in any game during the next five days.
Cristian Romero (top left), Giovani Lo Celso (top right), Emiliano Martinez (bottom left) and Emiliano Buendia (bottom right) were accused of breaking Brazil’s Covid-19 quarantine rules
Health authorities had stormed the pitch in Brazil-Argentina to detain four top-flight players
The concession has created an atmosphere of goodwill and clubs are trying to find a solution to help the South Americans ahead of next month’s qualifiers.
Brazil are in Colombia on October 7, in Venezuela three days later, and at home in Manaus against Uruguay on October 14, two days before Premier League fixtures resume.
The key lies with the UK Government, however, and FIFA’s ability to convince them to waive quarantine because there will be secure protocols in place to protect the football ‘bubbles’ in South America and on their return.
Clubs insist their chief concern surrounds the health of their players and lost fitness and conditioning during time in quarantine. The discussions are ongoing.
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