[ad_1]
Liverpool have refused to release Mohamed Salah for international assignments next week due to the quarantine restrictions the striker reportedly faces upon his return to the UK.
Liverpool, along with other members of the European Club Association, have called for exemptions from mandatory quarantine rules for players returning from Red List countries. With no deal between the Premier League and the government, however, and Salah facing a 10-day isolation period after playing in Egypt, Liverpool have informed the Egyptian FA that the 29-year-old will not be released for their World Cup qualifying match against Angola. in Cairo. The club have no objection to Salah playing Egypt’s second World Cup qualifier in Gabon on September 5, as Gabon is on the UK’s orange list and no quarantine rules are in place. would apply.
Brazilian Liverpool trio of Alisson, Roberto Firmino and Fabinho are in a similar situation with Brazil on the UK’s red list. Jürgen Klopp is already unhappy with Fifa’s decision to allow South American teams to qualify during the international break, which means Brazil will face Peru on Thursday before Liverpool travel to Leeds on Sunday 12 September. The club are also expected to block their release unless exemptions are introduced.
Salah, Alisson, Firmino and Fabinho would miss Leeds game, Liverpool’s Champions League first group game and Crystal Palace’s visit to Anfield on September 18 if they were forced to self-isolate for 10 days upon their return international commitments. Fifa had authorized clubs to suspend players from their international duties if they faced a period of isolation of at least five days. But this temporary rule has now been removed.
Premier League and Football Association officials have been in talks with the Ministry of Media, Culture and Sports over quarantine restrictions, which have impacted many sports and threaten to disrupt several rounds of international meetings. In a statement confirming Liverpool’s stance on Salah, the Egyptian federation said it was also in talks with Fifa over an exemption for its star player.
He said: “The Egyptian Football Association has received a letter from Liverpool FC apologizing for the inability of its player, Mohamed Salah, to join the national team at their next camp, which includes facing the ‘Angola in Cairo and Gabon in Franceville in the first and second round of the African continent’s qualifiers for the World Cup.
“The letter from the English club referred to the precautionary measures applied in England to deal with the epidemic of the Coronavirus in the world, which puts returnees from certain countries in compulsory health isolation for a period of ten days upon their return to England . In this letter, the English club also expressed their hope that the Egyptian Federation understood that it was forced to do so, facing the player subject to quarantine during this period and being physically affected, as well as the uncertainty of the conditions set by the English authorities. It is reported that Liverpool FC have taken the same position with a number of their foreign players.
Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham could also be affected by the quarantine rules that apply to people returning from Brazil.
Source link
