LIVERPOOL, Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United and Leeds have been told they CANNOT play their Brazilian aces who skipped World Cup duty.
Fifa today informed the Prem clubs that the Brazilian FA had asked them to impose the “five day restriction” on the players who did not travel for the international break.
It means Liverpool will be without Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino for their game at Leeds on Sunday, with the home side set to be without Raphinha.
Manchester United’s Fred will miss both the home clash with Newcastle and the opening Champions League game at Young Boys.
And centre-back Thiago Silva will be absent for Chelsea’s game with Aston Villa and Euro tie with Zenit St Petersburg.
Champions City must also plan without Ederson and Gabriel Jesus at Leicester on Saturday.
Wolves striker Raul Jiminez and Newcastle’s Miguel Almiron have also been told they are ineligible for this weekend’s Prem return after not travelling for their qualifiers.
But Everton CAN play striker Richarlison against Burnley on Monday after his name was omitted from the list supplied to world chiefs.
BETTING SPECIAL – GET 30/1 ON STERLING TO SCORE OR ASSIST vs POLAND
It is understood that Premier League clubs plan to contest the ruling.
Under Fifa regulations, agreed by the 211 member nations, the five day restriction is automatically mandated if a national association asks for it to be imposed.
It runs from the day after the final match of the international window, so in the case of the Brazilians named that is September 10-14, running out at midnight on Tuesday.
Unlike Mexico, Paraguay and Chile, who contacted Fifa over their unreleased players last week, Brazil did not formally send their letter until overnight.
That left Fifa with no option but to inform the clubs immediately to confirm the disciplinary steps.
But it is likely to spark an angry reaction from the Prem sides involved, especially after the chaotic scenes that saw Brazil’s game with Argentina halted after just six minutes when health officials attempted to detain Spurs pair Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso and Aston Villa pair Emi Martinez and Emiliano Buendia over alleged Covid quarantine breaches.
Leeds owner Andrea Radrizanni insisted yesterday that Raphinha had chosen not to fly back to Brazil when he had been given the chance by the club.
Radrizanni said: “We invited him to make a decision and he decided no.
“He showed great respect for his club and the Premier League in giving up this opportunity to play for his country for the first time.”
But that has not prevented Raphinha being named among the players Fifa were told Brazil wanted action over – which also included Zenit pair Malcom and Claudinha, who will also miss the Chelsea Euro game next Tuesday.
Brazil’s decision to omit Richarlison from the list submitted to Fifa appears evidence of the relationship between Everton and national team bosses after the striker was allowed to play in the Olympic Games in Tokyo when he could have been prevented from travelling.
Fifa have also contacted the FA, who are bound by the regulations to confirm the official notification from Zurich.
And with more World Cup qualifiers due to take place in Covid “red list” hotspots next month and in November, the onus is on Fifa to find a proper solution rather than risking further repeats.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
