Premier League clubs are heading for a club versus country row with their top players because Government is in no mood to exempt footballers from strict Covid quarantine rules when World Cup qualifiers are played around the globe next month.
Sportsmail reported this week that top-flight clubs are preparing to appeal to ministers for a special exemption from the rules governing ‘red-list’ countries, where virulent strains of coronavirus are circulating.
The ‘red list’ includes South American nations, such as Brazil, Colombia and Argentina, as well as Portugal, and scores of Premier League players could be selected to play.
Liverpool keeper Alisson could go into quarantine upon his return from international duty
Liverpool’s Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino (all Brazil), Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes (Portugal), Everton’s James Rodriguez (Colombia) and Tottenham’s Giovani Lo Celso (Argentina) could all be impacted, to name a few.
Players have told their clubs they want to travel to affected countries to represent their national sides, which would mean they would be subject to hotel quarantine like everyone else and unavailable for 10 days after their return.
The clubs are yet to submit their appeal to Government, but when they do, they are likely to be disappointed since there appears to be no appetite to compromise on a key element of the UK’s defense against coronavirus.
Everton’s James Rodriguez would also be impacted, with Colombia on the UK’s ‘red list’
‘The rules are there for a reason,’ a Whitehall source told Sportsmail. ‘They are there because of the gravity of the situation and the risk of spreading strains of the virus.’
Another source in a different department said the ‘same rules apply to everyone’.
While exemptions for elite sports people are in place for many countries, guidance on red list destinations appears clear cut.
Elite sports people are advised by the Department for Transport: ‘You need to quarantine in a government approved hotel and take a coronavirus test on day 2 and day 8 if you have been in a country on the travel ban red list in the 10 days before you arrive in the UK.’
Ministers and public health experts fear a variant of the virus could develop resistance to UK vaccines and be spread by travel.
The ‘red list’ restrictions are initially in place until the end of March, but could be extended.
South American countries ‘have variants coming out of their ears’, one public health expert told Sportsmail.
Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes could miss part of their Premier League season if he is forced to quarantine if he represents Portugal – which is on the UK red list – next month
A woman staying in quarantine at the Radisson Blu hotel near Heathrow gives a thumbs down to a photographer this morning
‘It is incredibly risky and it is just not worth taking that risk,’ professor Keith Neal, an expert in public health at the University of Nottingham said yesterday.
Currently there is no exemption for elite sportspeople who are returning from red-list destinations and Neal insists it should stay that way in order to prevent more lives being lost due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A new variant of coronavirus would only kill if the strain was catastrophic and hadn’t already been detected before.
‘The red list is designed to stop the most serious, dangerous variants. We do not want them in the country full stop. And there are a lot of variants in Brazil,’ he said.
The clubs are under pressure from players because it is now their decision on whether to release them for international duty.
The likes of Gabriel Jesus (middle) and Bernardo Silva (left) may be impacted next month
Last week, FIFA issued amended guidelines for March that state clubs do not have to release players where a compulsory quarantine period of five days or more is required on their return.
Clubs hope an exemption can be secured on the condition players leave their club’s bio-secure bubble and immediately enter their nation’s one.
But Neal said it is not that simple.
‘The player would be in airports, planes and hotels. He would meet up with players and staff for those countries, where there are also high rates of infection. It is a complete “no no”.
‘If they brought in a variant that was actually a vaccine escape it could spread and kill thousands of people.’
Top-flight clubs fear major disruption to their squads following the conclusion of March’s international fixtures due to the Government regulations, if players do travel for international games.
If no exemption from the rules was agreed, travel would also raise the prospect of elite sports stars being holed up in one of the government’s 16 designated quarantine hotels, where ‘guests’ are mostly confined to their own rooms.
More than 40 Premier League players are likely to be affected, with the worst hit clubs expected to be Manchester City, Wolves, Everton, Liverpool and Tottenham.
An analysis of top-flight players reveals 41 of them have been called up to the affected countries in the last two years. From that, 15 have played for Portugal – including six from Wolves and three from Manchester City.
While those Portuguese players would have to isolate on their return if they played for their national team at home to Azerbaijan on March 24, the rules do not appear to require them to quarantine if they join up with the squad outside of the country.
Portugal travels to Serbia on March 27 and Luxembourg on March 30 and neither of those countries are currently subject to a travel ban.
Meanwhile, there is a full programme of South American World Cup qualifiers, with all of the countries involved on the red list, taking place from March 25 to 30.
Top-flight managers have already expressed concern about the international matches next month, regardless of travel to ‘red list’ destinations.
Professor Keith Neal, an expert in public health at the University of Nottingham, says it should be a complete ‘no no’ on allowing players to return to the UK without having to quarantine first
Man City manager Pep Guardiola on Tuesday expressed concern about the international break
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on Tuesday expressed concern about the international break as he fears a spike in cases with players travelling abroad.
‘The Premier League should be concerned about this,’ Guardiola said.
‘Something is going to rise unfortunately. I would love to say it’s not going to happen but it’s already happened in two or three waves. The moment you take planes everything can happen.