Italy joins the refusal to assign players to Conmebol national teams

The Italian Serie A joined the English Premier on Wednesday and announced that support their clubs' decision not to yield to the summoned South American players for their selections for the September and October matches since they would have to travel to countries at risk for coronavirus and this would force them to quarantine upon their return to Europe.

As explained by the rectors of the Italian competition in a statement, FIFA's decision not to extend the exceptions to invitations to play in countries in which there is a quarantine requirement upon return and the various restrictions related to the spread of the pandemic “would create competitive inequalities for teams that allow their players to travel to those countries.”

For this reason, the highest Italian football body will support “the decision of its clubs not to release the players called up by national teams to play in countries where fiduciary isolation is required upon return to Italy, in compliance with current legal provisions in relation to covid-19 “.

A day before, the Premier League announced that in the next window of international matches of national teams will not allow the transfer of players from countries on the “red list” due to the risk of coronavirus, a veto that especially affects the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol). In a statement, the English league said that he had made that decision “reluctantly”, but with “unanimity” and with a “solid backing”.

The measure affects 60 players from 19 English clubs who had planned to travel to 26 countries that are on the “red list” of the United Kingdom. The rules that apply to those countries would allow all foreign players residing in the British Isles to return, but they would be forced to spend 10 days of mandatory quarantine in a hotel designated by the authorities, without being able to leave their room.

While in Spain, soccer clubs will debate this Thursday whether or not to yield their players to the South American teams, given the increase in days of the next two World Cup qualification windows for Conmebol, with FIFA's warning on the table about the consequences of not doing so.

After knowing the intentions of the Premier and LaLiga, the president of FIFA, the Swiss Gianni Infantino, He reminded them that the transfer of players to their national teams is “a matter of the utmost urgency and importance” and has reached out to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to allow players to travel to countries on his epidemiological “red list.”