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Klopp still in the dark over a...

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Klopp still in the dark over availability of Brazilian players

Phil Egan
Phil Egan

11:55 10 Sep 2021


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Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp is still unsure if he will be able to play his Brazil internationals for Sunday's Premier League game at Leeds.

Roberto Firmino was already ruled of the trip to Elland Road due to a hamstring injury he sustained against Chelsea before the international break, but Alisson and Fabinho are currently ineligible to play because they did not make themselves available for Brazil.

Liverpool are one of several Premier League clubs hoping their players will be available this weekend, despite a FIFA rule being triggered to stop some from playing.

Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay and Chile want those who weren't allowed to travel for international duty to be punished.

Some sides decided to not allow travel to red-list countries - but a FIFA regulation states a restriction period can be enforced if players are stopped from representing their country.

Asked about their availability this weekend, Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com: "I don’t know what will happen at the weekend, to be honest. In this moment, we have to see what other people decide and then we will again accept that probably, do what people tell us and try to win a football game.

"But the whole situation is really just like the whole world in the moment in a nutshell – ‘Ah, in football they have these problems as well.’ Yes, we have these problems. And now we will see who finds the solution."

"Our players, if they come back then they have to quarantine 10 days in a random hotel, next to the airport probably, which is not good for any people who have to do that but for a professional football player, being 10 days in a hotel.

"OK, then the decision was made, not by us: if that’s like this then the players cannot go. OK, they go, other players go, some clubs let their Argentina players go.

"There’s a game in Brazil against Argentina, officials come on to the pitch, nobody wants to see situations like that. Get the game cancelled, stopped in that moment.

"And now, the next thing, we have a football game to play again and they tell us we cannot play our Brazilian players.

"It’s like, ‘Huh?’ So, we did nothing. We didn’t organise the Copa America, we are not responsible for the games they couldn’t have played.

"We didn’t invite players, we didn’t say when they come back there’s no exemption. We all didn’t do that.

"But in the end the only [people] who get punished are the players and the clubs – and we have nothing to do with the whole organisation around. It’s like, ‘What is happening?’"


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Alisson Anfield Fabinho Jurgen Klopp Liverpool Premier League Roberto Firmino

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