Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp fears another club versus country rift as Brazil have called eight Premier League players for October’s World Cup qualifiers despite the country remaining on the UK’s travel red list.
Jurgen Klopp has requested the UK government to find “some kind of solution” to avoid another club-versus-country rift.
Klopp said, ”There must be a solution obviously because we cannot just leave it like this and say it’s not a problem. Yes, it is a problem.”
“I’m pretty sure the relevant people are working on this. I know they’re working on this, but there’s nothing decided yet, at least as far as I’m concerned,” he added.
Liverpool players Alisson and Fabinho, Chelsea defender Thiago Silva, Manchester City’s Ederson and Gabriel Jesus, Manchester United midfielder Fred, Leeds Raphinha, and Tottenham defender Emerson Royal have all been called up for matches against Venezuela, Colombia, and Uruguay.
In the current situation, anyone traveling to Brazil from the UK must quarantine for 14 days when they arrive in the country and 10 days when they arrive back in the UK.
However, the Brazil FA said that negotiations were underway for the travel exemptions.
The Brazil national team coordinator Juninho Paulista said that the eight premier league players had been called up with the contention that an agreement would be made next week allowing players to avoid travel restrictions.
“We’ve had lots of positive meetings with Fifa, the Premier League, and the British government, and we trust that there will be a positive solution next week,” he said. “That is why we have called them up.”
Last month most English clubs refused to release players called up by South American countries.
The Brazilian football federation will have to reach a separate agreement with the country’s health authority to exempt England-based players from quarantine on their arrival.
In August the Premier League released a statement saying its clubs had unanimously decided with reluctance to for matches in red-list countries during September’s international break.
Liverpool is set to travel to Watford on 16 September without Alisson and Fabinho, as Brazil host Uruguay on 15 September.
Klopp said that he knew it is solely Liverpool’s problem that would be favorable for Watford but he wondered why nobody reacted on the schedule adding that premier League managers had to face two problems, one of which is the schedule.
