Red list chaos: Tottenham and Aston Villa players travel to Argentina and top-flight clubs may now lose Brazil stars amid threat of sanctions against FIFA over quarantine demands.
- Brazil is trying to renegotiate the release of its stars for international matches
- The English Premier League clubs met and agreed last week to prevent the top stars from traveling
- Tottenham and Aston Villa have made deals with Argentina and others can follow
The Premier League football’s red list deal plunged into chaos on Monday night as Brazil tried to renegotiate the release of its stars and FIFA prepared to threaten sanctions.
First-class clubs met and agreed last week to prevent their stars from reporting on their international duties in the UK’s travel red list countries due to a 10-day quarantine requirement in a government hotel upon their return.
However, Tottenham and Aston Villa have struck deals with Argentina to allow four players – Aimee Martinez and Emi Buendia of Villa and Christian Romero and Giovanni Lo Celso of Tottenham – to appear in their World Cup qualifiers in Venezuela and Brazil, both playing red. existing.
The Premier League’s red-list agreement is in disarray – as the Argentina superstar including Tottenham duo Giovanni Lo Celso (left) and Christian Romero (right) head to international duty.
Richarlison appears to have expressed his disapproval on Instagram in the row over international players
Romero posted a photo on social media of four smiling on a private plane on their way to South America.
It is also known that Tottenham centre-back Davinson Sanchez will report for duty with Colombia, also on the red list.
But the release of the Argentine quartet sparked outrage in Brazil, because coach Tite chose nine stars in the Premier League from six different clubs in his original team.
On Friday, after being told they would not be released, Tite chose only nine alternatives only to discover, 48 hours later, that Argentina, their fierce opponents and opponents in Sao Paulo on Sunday, would be in full force, including those who defied. English Premier League ban.
On Tuesday night, the Brazilians were trying to get some first-choice players out of their clubs, although with a bit of optimism.
Premier League star Roberto Firmino (right) is also likely to be affected by the ongoing controversy
Chelsea’s Thiago Silva posted a somber selfie on Instagram with a picture of hands tied and the caption: “Should I say something?” While Richarlison posted a picture of him playing for Brazil with the caption “everton”.
FIFA is watching developments. As football’s governing body, they have the power to impose a five-day ban on players who have not been released when called up to represent their countries in official matches, like this one.
Such a penalty would ban nine players from the first Premier League game after the international break: Fabinho, Alisson and Roberto Firmino of Liverpool, Fred of Manchester United, Gabriel Jesus and Ederson of Manchester City, Silva, Richarlison of Everton and Ravenha of Leeds. .
It’s a delicate balance for clubs. Even with a FIFA ban, they may decide that not releasing their players is the lesser of two evils. They can at least train and prepare with their colleagues and keep fit, instead of training alone in a government quarantine hotel.
A possible FIFA ban on players who have not been released could be a concern for Alisson (left) and Jurgen Klopp
Reports in Argentina have said the four Premier League players can go home via Croatia to train during the quarantine period, avoid 10 days of isolation in a hotel and reduce the impact of their absence.
The fallout is set to fall apart with some Premier League clubs baffled as to why, after a “unanimous” decision was reached, others left and made deals with their players to play.
The Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters, may also want to know, after he was asked to rarely intervene in international affairs and put his name in a statement.
Aston Villa appeared to be the first to give up, followed closely by Tottenham, with coach Nuno Espirito Santo claiming he could not deny players the chance to represent their countries in the absence of stronger support from authorities such as FIFA or the government.
