ASUNCIÓN, Aug 30 (Reuters) – Paraguayan forward Miguel Almirón will not play the next three dates of the World Cup qualifier because England’s Newcastle refused to give him up, the Paraguayan Football Association (APF) said on Monday, which will claim his absence. to FIFA.
The English first and second division clubs decided not to release their players for the next matches of the South American qualifying tournament for the Qatar World Cup, which will be played between September 2 and 9, due to fears regarding the coronavirus.
“What Newcastle is doing is outside the regulations. We have already protested to FIFA,” APF president Robert Harrison told Paraguayan radio.
“They did not give him permission verbally, of course they do not leave anything in writing, so legally nothing can be done but unfortunately we will not be able to count on Almirón for this combo,” he added.
Despite the fact that Spanish LaLiga and Italy’s Serie A sought to follow the same path to prevent the presence of their players in the tournament, the Paraguayans who play in Spain and Italy did have authorization from their clubs for the matches against Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela.
The Uruguayan Football Association also reported on Monday that the call for Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani was canceled due to quarantine rules, so he will not participate in the matches against Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.
The British government has determined that people traveling to countries on the COVID-19 red list – which includes most South American nations – must respect a 10-day quarantine upon their return.
(Report by Daniela Desantis. Edited by Rodrigo Charme)