08/26/2021 7:00
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 08/26/2021 7:00 AM
Of the list of 30 players that Lionel Scaloni put together for the South American Qualifying window in which Argentina will have to play against Venezuela and Brazil, as a visitor, and against Bolivia at home, only seven players could travel from Europe to these latitudes if they the refusal of three of the main leagues of the Old Continent not to yield to the footballers is maintained.
The other two play local soccer.
The one that kicked the board this Tuesday was the Premier League.
The clubs were united and surprised by announcing their stance against letting the players go with their national teams who will have to play in countries that are on "red alert" due to the coronavirus pandemic, including Argentina and the rest of South America.
In the case of the Argentine National Team, the restriction reaches the starting goalkeeper and at a great moment after consolidating himself in the national goal in the Copa América, Emiliano "Jugue" Martínez, two other fixed in the Scaloni cycle such as midfielder Giovani Lo Celso and defender Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur) plus an interesting alternative in a context of several absences due to injuries: Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa).
Draw Emiliano Martinez would miss the triple knockout date.
Photo: REUTERS / Rebecca Naden.
In this scenario, the South American team most affected by the rudeness of the Premier is Brazil, by a wide margin.
Is that Tite has 22 options to call from the most important league in world football.
On this occasion, the roster included 8: Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Ederson, Fred and Gabriel Jesús (Manchester City), Thiago Silva (Chelsea) and Richarlison (Everton).
"The clubs have unanimously decided not to release players for international matches to be played in the countries on the red list next month. The decision will apply to almost 60 players from 19 teams
who should travel to 26 countries
on the list. red in the international window of September, "reported the Premier.
In other selections like the one of Colombia they could not be Yerry Mina (Everton) and Davinson Sanchez (Tottenham);
in Uruguay, coach Oscar Tabárez would be missing forward Edinson Cavani (Manchester United) and Paraguay would lose Miguel Almirón (Newcastle).
"Extensive discussions have taken place with both the FA (English Football Federation) and the government to find a solution, but due to current public health concerns related to travelers arriving from red-list countries, no no exemption has been granted, "they explained from England.
And from now on they ruled out the possibility that the footballers carry out a quarantine when returning to the country in which they live since they would lose ground in the competitions with their clubs.
Ángel Correa and Rodrigo De Paul, two of the Argentines in Spain.
Photo: REUTERS / Juan Medina.
At the kick of the Premier, they were followed by those of LaLiga of Spain and Serie A of Italy.
In the first case, Argentina
would be left without 9 of those summoned
: Gerónimo Rulli (Villarreal), Gonzalo Montiel, Alejandro Gómez and Marcos Acuña (Seville), Juan Foyth (Villarreal), Germán Pezzella (Betis), Rodrigo De Paul and Angel Correa (Atlético de Madrid), Guido Rodríguez (Betis).
And from Italy they would lose 8: Juan Musso (Atalanta), Nahuel Molina (Udinese), Lucas Martínez Quarta and Nicolás González (Fiorentina), Nicolás Domínguez (Bologna), Lautaro Martínez (Inter), Paulo Dybala (Juventus) and Joaquín Correa ( Lazio).
Bittersweet flavor: Paulo Dybala returned to a call with Argentina but could not travel.
Photo: MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP)
Thus the total loss for Scaloni
would be 21 selected
.
Within this dark panorama that promises more chapters before knowing its final opinion, there is an asterisk that benefits Argentina: the French league, at least so far, has not expressed its position against giving up the players.
Therefore, both Lionel Messi, Leandro Paredes and Ángel Di María, from Paris Saint Germain, would have no obstacles to take a plane.
Messi, Di María and Paredes, the Argentine national team who play for PSG.
The same fate holds for defenders Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica, Portugal), Lisandro Martínez and Nicolás Tagliafico (Ajax, Holland) and midfielder Exequiel Palacios (Bayern Leverkusen, Germany).
And they should be added to the two representatives of local football who are already on the payroll: Franco Armani and Julián Alvarez, from River.
It is clear that it remains to be known how this story will end.
If the arm wrestling is won from Europe and even more so if other leagues such as the French or German are joined, there will be no alternative but to go to footballers who are active in South America, why not Mexico or the MLS,
and make special focus on Argentine football
.
An unprecedented situation in the recent history of international competitions, heading to Qatar 2022.
Franco Armani is one of the two summoned by Scaloni who play in local football.
The other is Julián Álvarez, also from River.
Photo: Marcelo Carroll.
Something is clear in this hypothetical scenario: the Qualifiers can hardly be postponed since they have been suffering shifts due to the pandemic and there are no more dates available, so much so that in this window they enabled one more match than usual.
And one more asterisk: if the majority of soccer players from the local field were to play
there, it would be the Argentine leaders who would shout in the sky
to ask that the Professional League days be suspended because of the same adjusted calendar they are facing. I was planning to pause for the Playoffs.
The pull that follows
FIFA, through its president Gianni Infantino, published a statement in which it urged "all" those involved to "guarantee the release of international players for the next" qualifying matches for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
"The release of players in the next international windows is a matter of great urgency and importance," Infantino remarked at the beginning of the text published on the official FIFA website.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Photo: Sebastian Gollnow / dpa.
"I appeal to every member association, every league and every club in solidarity to do what is right and fair. Many of the best players in the world compete in the English and Spanish leagues, and we believe that these countries also share the same responsibility to preserve and protect the sporting integrity of competitions around the world, "added the Swiss leader.
Specifically on the decision of the Premier League, Infantino reported that he initiated negotiations with the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson to prevent the players from doing isolation when they return from competing with their selected teams.
According to the British newspaper
The Telegraph
, Johnson will lower his thumb at FIFA's request and remain on the side of the Premier's interests. In this regard, the FIFA president said that he suggested that Great Britain "implement an approach similar to that adopted" by his government during "the final stages of EURO 2020".
