Zurich: FIFA, the world governing body of football, has announced that it is extending its relaxation of rules forcing clubs to release all players during international windows.
“The Bureau of the FIFA Council has decided to provide additional flexibility regarding the release of players for national team duty and the registration of players with clubs in competitions that remain disrupted by the pandemic,” FIFA said in a statement on Friday.
The world governing body of football added that clubs, who are bound by regulations to release players for international duty, don’t need to release players if they are expected to travel to countries that impose mandatory quarantine or self-isolation for at least five days upon arrival.
Players who face mandatory quarantine of at least five days on any part of their intended journey, or government-imposed border restrictions that do not exempt professional sports, can be excused call-ups by their national team.
The decision came with 135 national teams set to play World Cup qualifying games in March, and 48 more playing African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The scheduled games involve more than 3,000 players — many with clubs in Europe — set to fly around the world to join national teams.
The exemptions were introduced late last year as international soccer resumed amid a backlog of World Cup qualifiers in Asia and South America.
