Red-listed Argentina call back Premier League trio Amy Martinez, Giovanni Lo Celso and Cristian Romero, despite Brazilian health officials calling off the game
- Argentina has called up three Premier League players despite the previous spectacle
- Brazilian health officials attempt to release four English-based players
- Now Martinez, Lo Celso and Romero have been called back by Argentina
- They are no longer required to quarantine in Argentina, but must do so upon return
- Argentina is on the red list and travelers will have to quarantine for a period of 10 days
Premier League stars Giovanni Lo Celso, Cristian Romero and Emiliano Martinez have been called up for Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers next month – with the country still on the UK’s travel red list.
Tottenham duo Lou Celso and Romero both lost two games for the club, while Martinez was absent for an Aston Villa match, as the trio was in Croatia for 10 days in isolation before returning to the UK after the last international break.
FIFA, the FA and the UK government are in talks to find a way for players returning from red-list countries to avoid the 10-day quarantine and minimize disruption to their clubs.
Argentina have called three Premier League stars for next month’s World Cup qualifiers
Brazilian health officials abandoned Argentina’s game with Brazil earlier this month because four Premier League players were not quarantined upon arrival in South America.
And Martinez will hold renewed discussions with Villa, with the goalkeeper desperate to play for his country in their games against Paraguay, Uruguay and Peru.
However, Villa are keen to avoid a repeat of last month’s complications – in which officials attempted to deport members of the Argentine team through their World Cup qualifier in Brazil for violating quarantine rules.
The weekend following the upcoming international break, Villa are set to host Wolves on Saturday, 16 October, while Spurs travel to Newcastle the next day.
Before the last international break in September, the Premier League issued a statement announcing that clubs had ‘reluctantly but unanimously’ decided not to release players for matches in red-list countries.
But Martinez, Villa teammates Emiliano Buendia, Lo Celso and Romero still joined their national team.
Brazil, for whom no UK players reported for duty earlier this month, have selected eight players from Premier League clubs for next month’s qualifiers.
Meanwhile, as part of a new agreement between UEFA and their South American counterparts CONMEBOL, Copa America champions Argentina will face Euro 2020 winners Italy in June next year.
They will not have to quarantine in Argentina, but will have to do so when they return to the UK
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