Liverpool
manager Jurgen Klopp admits he still has "no idea" if the club's Brazilian
players will be able to face Leeds United on Sunday, live on Sky Sports,
with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola also voicing his frustration.
On Wednesday it was revealed that FIFA had invoked Article 5 to block
Premier League clubs from selecting players who they had refused to release
for the latest round of international fixtures, following a request from the
Brazilian Football Confederation.
It comes after Premier League clubs unanimously agreed last month not to
release players for international matches in countries on the UK
Government's red list.
If enforced, Article 5 would prevent players from playing in this weekend's
round of Premier League fixtures and also Tuesday's Champions League
matches.
Liverpool would be one of the clubs hit hardest by the restrictions with
Alisson, Fabinho and Robert Firmino, who is currently injured, banned from
playing against Leeds.
Liverpool believe FIFA has no basis with which to ban clubs from selecting
the players but Klopp admits he is unsure if he will be allowed to pick the
Brazilians on Sunday, as discussions continue over their availability.
"I have no idea when I can expect a solution," Klopp said.
"We will see. I don't know at the moment when I will have to make a decision
about it. But there will be a moment.
"Today's training session will obviously be a very important one, it would
nice if we could train with the team I want to play on Sunday. We will see."
Klopp added: "It is a really difficult situation and really tricky for all
the clubs, and the players especially.
"We should not forget at this moment that the players wanted to play these
games, the clubs wanted to let the players go but it was not possible."
Klopp believes the issue could also affect the next international break in
October, particularly if more countries are added to the UK Government's red
list.
"We still don't know what we can do right now at the weekend but that's the
smallest problem because next time, we don't know how the pandemic develops
- there could be 10 or 15 other countries on the red list," Klopp added.
"I hope that it's not the case but we cannot ignore that this could be
possible. If that happens, then it's the same problem again with all the
players.
"If we still think that the clubs and the players should get the punishment
for something that we have absolutely no influence over, that for sure is
not right."
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is also in the dark over whether Brazil
duo Ederson and Gabriel Jesus will be able to play against Leicester City on
Saturday.
City, in common with a number of other English top-flight clubs, did not
want the players to travel because of quarantine restrictions on return to
the UK.
With Brazil also having quarantine rules, Guardiola admits the whole
situation is a confusing one.
"If they had travelled there they wouldn't be allowed to play for
quarantine," said Guardiola during his Friday press conference.
"If they do it, so they cannot play in Brazil, and after they come back and
cannot play here for 10 days.
"If they don't fly they are suspended for five days because they are here.
It makes no sense."
Guardiola added: "Right now, at 1.35pm, it is unclear. I don't know,
hopefully they can play. We are going to wait to see if they can play or
not."
Tuchel: Switch international games to
green-list countries
Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel, who also has Brazilian defender Thiago
Silva embroiled in the club vs country row, believes international venues
should be changed moving forward.
Like his fellow compatriots, Silva did not travel to South America for
Brazil duty in the international break, and could now face a five-day
suspension.
The 36-year-old could miss Chelsea's Premier League clash with Aston Villa
on Saturday and Tuesday's Champions League encounter with Zenit St
Petersburg.
Asked if Silva faced a no-win situation, Tuchel said: "Yes, I don't
understand it, it makes no sense from either side.
"Did it make sense from the Brazilian national team? No. Did it make sense
for us? No.
"Because now we are in danger that he maybe cannot play the next two
matches, because of a ban. If we would have sent him he would be out for 10
days in a hotel room, not able to train.
"Which I can understand because these are the travel restrictions at the
moment. And nobody wants that.
"So these solutions where we are right now, these discussions, I don't know
if any fan or anybody involved in the game can understand the positive
effect of it. There is simply none.
"The chairman is still in negotiations, and I'm still positive and he is not
out yet officially."
Instead, Tuchel proposed international matches are switched from red-list to
green-list countries moving forward, as happened in last season's Champions
League.
"Personally, I think it could be a solution maybe to move games from red
listed to green listed countries, like we did with the Champions League."
Klopp: World Cup plans don't consider
players
Klopp has revealed he recently held talks with FIFA's chief of global
football development Arsene Wenger over the proposal to host the World Cup
every two years instead of four.
However, the Liverpool manager has suggested he would be opposed to any
plans that could lead to more matches in the football calendar and less time
for his players to recover during the summer break.
"There is no other sport in the world with such a relentless calendar," said
Klopp.
"There are more demanding sports like athletics, marathon running - but they
don't run 20 or 30 or 40 a year.
"We all know why it is happening. Whatever people say, that it is giving
other countries opportunities - that's why there are more teams at the World
Cup for example.
"But in the end it is all about money. That is how it is."
Klopp added: "At some point somebody has to understand that without the
players, the most important ingredient of this wonderful game, we don't
play.
"So whoever thinks they are more important - FIFA, UEFA, the sporting
directors, the managers - nobody is more important than the players."
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