Qatar Imposes 5-day Quarantine For Unvaccinated Players In The 2022 World Cup Squad

JAKARTA - Several players faced forced entry into COVID-19 quarantine upon arrival at the Qatar World Cup for refusing to be vaccinated against the disease.

Telegraph Sport reported on Thursday that there are currently no player exceptions to the entry requirement into Qatar which requires all unvaccinated foreign visitors to self-isolate for five days in a hotel.

It comes after Chelsea announced N'Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek would miss their pre-season tour of the United States as a result of their "COVID vaccination status" and Crystal Palace was forced to leave the players at home from tours to Singapore and Australia that were "does not meet the entry requirements."

Kante was one of the stars of France's 2018 World Cup triumph and could be a key figure in defending their title. Meanwhile, Loftus-Cheek was also part of the England squad that reached the semi-finals – although he has not played for his country since that year.

Among the players absent on the Palace tour are future England squad members Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze and Belgium striker Christian Benteke.

Palace did not specify whether those absent would stay because of their COVID-19 vaccination status. The club only confirmed that the players were part of an "unfit" group.

Wilfried Zaha, Michael Olise, James McArthur, Jeffrey Schlupp, and Will Hughes are among the key players who are also absent.

Players selected for the unvaccinated World Cup squad must be able to complete their quarantine in Qatar before the kick-off of their country's first match.

“All participants must follow travel advice from Qatari authorities and the latest guidance from the Ministry of Public Health. Full information on COVID-19 safety measures will be communicated to all client groups as we approach the competition," FIFA said.