March 18 – In a major snub to upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, no French clubs will release their non-European players during the international break, the French Professional League (LFP) announced on Wednesday.
On Monday, a two-week international break will get underway as Europe kicks off the long road to the Qatar 2022 World Cup, but elsewhere, in South America and Asia, matches have largely been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions.
However, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs won’t release players for national team duty outside of Europe. “In this context, the clubs will not make available for selection the foreign players summoned for matches outside the EU/EEA zone during the next international period in March,” the LFP said in a statement.
The decision is a snub to Africa, where the last two rounds of matches in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations are scheduled to be completed to determine the final 24-team playing field for the continent’s showcase national team tournament.
Last month FIFA wrote in a circular that clubs were not under the obligation to release players if there is a “mandatory period of quarantine or self-isolation of at least five days upon arrival” in the country where the club is located or the country where the match is taking place.
On Tuesday, French Ligue 1 club Dijon FCO had already announced that all its players selected with non-European teams would not be allowed to travel to join up with their national team, arguing that those player would miss the next match day in Ligue 1. Dijon cited authorisation from FIFA.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1713612420labto1713612420ofdlr1713612420owedi1713612420sni@o1713612420fni1713612420