Covid-19: L1 and L2 internationals will be able to join their selection under conditions
In Lyon, the Dutchman Memphis Depay, and the Ivorian Maxwell Cornet (dr) could join their selection under conditions.
PHILIPPE DESMAZES AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
The international footballers brought to play at the end of March outside the European Union, that the French clubs wanted to retain because of a septaine on their return, will have a derogation if they respect a health bubble, announced on Saturday the ministry of Sports facing a growing controversy.
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The Ministry of Sports confirms that internationals returning from official competition outside the EU with their national, French or foreign team are exempt from the septaine as soon as compliance with a strict health and medical protocol is guaranteed (bubble + daily PCR test on return to the club),
”wrote the ministry.
"
They will therefore be able to train and play without applying a 7-day period,
" he said.
This clarification opens a way out for many internationals playing in France while the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs had agreed on Wednesday, "
unanimously
", not to release them for the matches of their selections.
They feared that isolation upon their return would deprive them of the Matchday 31 matches on the weekend of April 3-4.
►Also read: CAN 2021: the African selections are resigned to doing without their L1 and L2 players
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Fifa has relaxed its rules for summoning players for the next international break which begins on Monday, allowing clubs to retain their footballers if quarantine is mandatory on return.
And everywhere in Europe, the positions of clubs have multiplied in favor of blocking internationals brought to travel outside the Old Continent.
Many
coaches, especially in Africa
, were moved by the refusal of clubs to release certain footballers, especially as the players of the France team, themselves, had obtained a derogation to be exempted from septaine, despite planned trips to Kazakhstan (March 28) and in Bosnia (March 31), in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.
Deeming this decision "
unfair
", the Dutch striker and Lyon captain Memphis Depay posted on Twitter on Friday an appeal to the French government, asking to be able to join the selection of the Netherlands, which is to play in Turkey (March 24).
In Europe, some qualifying matches for the next World Cup are scheduled outside the EU.
This is the case of the Serbia-Portugal shock (March 27).
In Africa, the selections must play the end of the qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations scheduled for early 2022.
(With
AFP
)
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CAN 2021: the African selections are resigned to doing without their L1 and L2 players
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