Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is uncertain whether Brazil internationals Alisson and Fabinho will be able to face Leeds at Elland Road on Sunday.
Klopp was heavily critical of the South American football authorities over their handling of the situation, with other Premier League clubs such as Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea also set to be affected. Roberto Firmino is in the same situation but is still recovering from an injury he suffered before the international break and is set to miss the game against Leeds in any case.
Liverpool refused to allow Alisson, Fabinho and Firmino to travel to red-list countries, but the Brazilian FA responded by imposing a five-day restriction on the players they called up for the games against Chile, Argentina and Peru, even though they didn’t play.
Jurgen Klopp still doesn’t know if Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino can face Leeds
Liverpool refused to release goalkeeper Alisson for Brazil’s international fixtures this month
Sportsmail revealed earlier this week that the Premier League are hopeful that the 11 players affected by the ruling will be free to play this weekend.
Chief executive Richard Masters wrote to clubs and suggested a resolution is in sight on Wednesday. He said four national associations complained to FIFA and added that the top flight has been locked in talks with both the governing body, the government and the Football Association.
However, with no resolution yet found, Klopp feels that the situation could have been handled better.
Asked about the availability of the trio at his pre-match press conference, Klopp said: ‘No. Bobby will not be available because of injury. It’s a really difficult situation. it’s really tricky for all the clubs and players especially. The players wanted to play, the clubs wanted to let the players go.
Fabinho (left) and Roberto Firmino (right) also didn’t travel but may now face restrictions
‘We couldn’t do that but now it looks like the real punishment is for the players and of course the clubs as well. That’s really not ok. We didn’t decide the players have to go. The world is in a pandemic still. We have to be on top of that until the end of the pandemic. The football players have got very often exemptions and that didn’t often lead to spreads in cities.
‘Because of all the things we do, we get tested three times a week. There was no solution and what FIFA and CONMEBOL did, they decided that we put in another matchday. They played this morning at 1.30. Brazil won all three games but there are still complaints.
‘Before the last international break I had a meeting with Arsene Wenger and they showed me the plans for the World Cup and in that moment I got the message there is no exemption from the government from the players and we agreed the players cannot go. This is the situation and we don’t know who we can line up at the weekend. Next time there could be 10-15 other countries on the red list, it’s possible there will be the same problem with all the players and we will get the punishment for something we’re not influential in.’
In addition, Klopp criticised football’s ‘relentless calendar’, stressing that it places unreasonable demands on players.
He said: ‘There’s no other sport in the world with such a relentless calendar. There are more demanding sports in the world but they don’t run 20, 30, 40 a year. We know why it’s happening. It’s about giving different countries the opportunity, that’s why we have more countries in the World Cup but in the end it’s all about money. That’s fine. In the end at one point somebody has to start understanding that without the players, the most important ingredients, we cannot play.
‘Whoever thinks it’s more important than the players, nobody’s more important. Imagine every two years a World Cup, there will be every two years a European Championship. Top class players will play every year a tournament and have a three week break every year.
‘There’s only one body they have and that’s what they have to use. It’s always about more games. There’s no problem about a meaningless game, but if you always have competitions like Nations League, they have to play without a break, that’s not right, for the long term, I’m sure not.’
Klopp criticised the relentless schedule players have to endure and the demands they face
‘It’s absolutely not important what I say because nobody listens. Nobody thought about the players when they decided at FIFA and CONMEBOL that the last game is Friday morning our time 1.30. We’re playing on Sunday so if they come back this afternoon they cannot play. There must be a point when the confederations sit together and start thinking about the game and the benefits, but I’m 54, I’m not sure I will be alive when that happens.’
‘I have no idea when I can expect a solution. There will be a moment, it would be nice if we could train with the team I want to play on Sunday.
The Liverpool boss previously told the club’s official website: ‘I can say what I know: I don’t know in the moment. We will see, there are meetings going on.
‘The thing I want to say about that is just, let’s look at the full case. So, we all know we are in the middle of a pandemic, which is difficult for all parts of life and for football it was difficult as well.
‘We have a few more games to play than we have to play usually internationally. We had a summer break where all of a sudden somebody organised again a Copa America, where they could have played the games, for example, without playing a Copa America, which they had a year before.’
FIFA president Gianni Infantino had written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to request exemptions for players due to play in ‘red list’ countries during the international break
Klopp stressed that Liverpool weren’t consulted over the scheduling for the South American fixtures, with Brazil playing World Cup qualifiers less than two months after their involvement at the Copa America.
He said: ‘But people decide without us these kind of things. OK, nobody cares, that’s how it is. They play a Copa America, then they still have more games to play. Then a week or 10 days before the international break we get, ‘OK, we play now three games and the last game is on Thursday night.’
‘So we have nothing to do with that. Friday morning, by the way. Friday morning, 1.20am, would have been Brazil against Peru. We have nothing to do with that, we cannot decide anything about it, we just read these things.
‘Then we have to think, ‘OK, clear, they are invited.’ But when they come back they have to quarantine [for] 10 days. Again, it’s not our decision, we didn’t say they have to quarantine [for] 10 days, we didn’t say you have to go to the national team, we can’t say nothing – we just sit in between and we think, ‘OK, what’s going on?’
Klopp is angry South American World Cup qualifiers took place so soon after the Copa America. Lionel Messi is pictured lifting the trophy with Argentina back in July
‘Our players, if they come back then they have to quarantine 10 days in a random hotel, next to the airport probably, which is not good for any people who have to do that but for a professional football player, being 10 days in a hotel – with the food they get from there – you lose everything. You lose muscle, you lose everything. It means 10 days in the hotel, coming back [and] needing pretty much 10 days to get on track again.’
Klopp also criticised the situation that occurred during the game between Brazil and Argentina, which was abandoned when Covid officials entered the pitch with England-based players Emiliano Martinez, Emi Buendia, Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero having all travelled to Brazil despite having not been permitted to do so.
Klopp continued: ‘OK, then the decision was made, not by us: if that’s like this then the players cannot go. OK, they go, other players go, some clubs let their Argentina players go. There’s a game in Brazil against Argentina, officials come on to the pitch, nobody wants to see situations like that. Get the game cancelled, stopped in that moment.
‘And now, the next thing, we have a football game to play again and they tell us we cannot play our Brazilian players. It’s like, ‘Huh?’ So, we did nothing. We didn’t organise the Copa America, we are not responsible for the games they couldn’t have played. We didn’t invite players, we didn’t say when they come back there’s no exemption. We all didn’t do that.
Manchester City could be without Ederson after he wasn’t released to play for Brazil
Chelsea may also be affected as experienced defender Thiago Silva could be unavailable
‘But in the end the only [people] who get punished are the players and the clubs – and we have nothing to do with the whole organisation around. It’s like, ‘What is happening?’
‘So I don’t know what will happen at the weekend, to be honest. In this moment, we have to see what other people decide and then we will again accept that probably, do what people tell us and try to win a football game.
‘But the whole situation is really just like the whole world in the moment in a nutshell – ‘Ah, in football they have these problems as well.’ Yes, we have these problems. And now we will see who finds the solution.’
If players had travelled to red-list countries then they would have missed several games for their clubs when they returned because of quarantine rules.
If the situation is not resolved in favour of the Premier League clubs, Chelsea centre-back Thiago Silva and Manchester United midfielder Fred could also be unavailable for selection this weekend and in the Champions League next week.
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer described the situation as ‘a farce’, with Fred possibly missing the fixtures against Newcastle and Young Boys.
Solskjaer said: ‘Lose, lose situation, national teams, players, clubs, it’s been a farce, really. The players want to play but we all know what kind of situation we find ourselves in the last year and a half with the pandemic, to limit the spread of the virus, we’ve worked really hard to try and find a way, private jets, there are ways of getting them in and out but all of the decisions have gone against the players, want to play for national teams and clubs but not allowed.
‘I’m disappointed with the whole thing, common sense might not be common anymore. Fingers crossed, some sense comes into people’s minds.’
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who could be without Fred, described the situation as ‘a farce’
Manchester City’s Ederson and Gabriel Jesus would also affected along with Leeds’ Raphinha.
City boss Pep Guardiola said: ‘Right now at 1:35 it’s still not clear. Hopefully they can play. we are going to wait until tomorrow. I don’t understand the situation. I don’t know what we can do.’
However, Brazil will definitely allow Richarlison to feature for Everton against Burnley on Monday after the Toffees gave permission for him to play in the Olympics this summer when they weren’t forced to.
Other Premier League players who may be prevented from playing include Wolves’ Mexican forward Raul Jimenez, Miguel Almiron of Newcastle and Paraguay, and Francisco Sierralta, who plays for Watford and Chile.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino had written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to request exemptions for players due to play in ‘red list’ countries during the international break.