Urges English And Spanish Leagues Not To Hinder Their Country's Defenders, FIFA President: Member Associations, Leagues And Clubs Must Be In Solidarity

Gianni Infantino (Photo: FIFA)

JAKARTA - FIFA President Gianni Infantino urged Premier League and Spanish League clubs not to prevent their players from defending their respective countries in the international match calendar in early September.

"I call for solidarity from all member associations, leagues, and clubs, to do what is right and proper for this global sport", Infantino said in a statement published on FIFA's official website on Wednesday night.

"Many of the best players in the world compete in leagues in England and Spain, and we believe these countries also share the responsibility to safeguard and secure the integrity and sportsmanship of football competitions around the world", he added.

FIFA previously decided not to extend the refusal permit for clubs around the world to release their players in international matches, a policy that was in effect during the COVID-19 pandemic and ended April 21.

The English Premier League operator earlier on Tuesday, 24 August announced an agreement by its member clubs not to release their players traveling to and from countries listed on the UK government's COVID-19 travel red list.

British government rules require people traveling from red list countries to undergo a 10-day isolation period.

The rule will practically affect the player's chances of defending his club in domestic and European competitions, at least one to three matches after the international break.

In addition to the Premier League, the Spanish La Liga operators also expressed support if their clubs did not release their players for international matches in the Latin American region, which is mostly on the red list of countries due to high COVID-19 cases.

Later the operator of the English second to fourth caste leagues, the EFL, also announced a similar statement that the clubs under its auspices agreed not to release players who would play in red zone countries.

A similar decision was also taken by the Italian League operator Serie A, which will support the club's decision to detain players who are threatened with isolation after the international break.

Infantino claims he has sent an official letter to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asking for support so that there is a solution that does not reduce the chances of foreign players to strengthen their respective national teams in the international break calendar.

"I would also suggest a similar approach adopted by the British government for the final round of Euro 2020 to be applied in international matches", he said.

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"Together we have shown solidarity and unity in the fight against COVID-19. Now I urge all parties to ensure international players qualify for the World Cup", Infantino concluded.

There is no guarantee of relaxation of the UK government's isolation policy, but FIFA could use this situation as their bargaining position in Queen Elizabeth's bid to run for the 2030 World Cup with Johnson's Republic of Ireland.

The Premier League has also protested FIFA's decision to extend the schedule for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers for the Latin America zone (CONMEBOL) to 11 days from the original plan of nine days.

From 1 September all regional confederations will play their respective zone 2022 World Cup qualifiers, with the last match taking place on 9 September at CONMEBOL.