Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has hit on the Brazilian Football Confederation’s (CBF) “crazy” decision to call for a FIFA suspension for Ederson and Gabriel Jesus.
City duo Ederson and Jesus, among most other South American players in the Premier League, have not been released by their clubs for the recent World Cup qualifier round on the continent.
Premier League clubs unanimously agreed last month that they would refuse to release players called up by nations that are on the British government’s travel red list amid the coronavirus pandemic.
All of South America is on this list and players were supposed to be quarantined in a hotel for 10 days upon their arrival in the UK, leaving them unavailable for at least two league matches and next week’s European matches.
Spurs trio Davinson Sanchez, Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero nevertheless joined Colombia and Argentina respectively, while Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia also traveled, although the Argentine contingent agreed to return soon.
However, Martinez, Lo Celso and Romero were at the center of incredible scenes in Sao Paulo last weekend when Brazilian health authority officials stepped in to arrest the trio, as Brazil’s travel rules require people to isolate themselves if they have been to the UK within 14 days of their arrival in the country.
Explaining his frustration and confusion, Guardiola pointed out this fact after Brazil invoked a FIFA ruling to prevent clubs from fielding players who have not released.
In view of Saturday’s trip to Leicester City, Guardiola said at a press conference on Friday: “At this moment it is not yet clear, we hope they can play, we will wait and see tomorrow if there is good news. The club has not informed me of anything. So we’ll wait and see if they can play or not.
“I don’t understand the situation as I don’t know what we can do. It is an honor for us that our players go to play for the countries where they were born. Not a problem at all.
PEP (during the Nationals break) We have three weeks to prepare, but not before, then we have a break for the Nationals and then three weeks and then a break for the Nationals.
It’s the same for the past 10 years.
We have to adapt and adapt to what we have to do.
– Manchester City (@ManCity) September 10, 2021
“It is difficult for me to justify that the Argentine players who play in the Premier League, go to Brazil and have not been allowed to play, and the Brazilian players who would have had to travel to play this match would have been completely the same.
“So if they went there, they couldn’t play because of the quarantine there. If so they do [fly to Brazil] but they can’t play in Brazil and after they returned they couldn’t play here for 10 days. And if they don’t fly, they are suspended after five days because they were here. So it doesn’t make sense.
Argentina traveled with some players, the police were on the pitch and they couldn’t play because they didn’t follow protocol.
“So it would have happened with the Brazilian players. And after the Brazilian federation asked FIFA to ban these players who can’t travel to play with them, but couldn’t play there, and now they can’t play here? It’s crazy. “
With Zack Steffen in solitary confinement in the United States testing positive for COVID-19, Guardiola will likely have to call veteran goalkeeper Scott Carson to only make his second City appearance if Ederson isn’t available – the only previous outing of the. former England international was in a 4-3 win over Newcastle United in May, his first appearance in the top flight in a decade.
Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick in that match and, having scored twice against Arsenal last time, was involved in six goals in his last six league appearances.
Jesus, who plays to the right of City’s three forwards, also started the season well and would be a miss for Guardiola’s team. The striker, in fact, has scored more goals against Everton (eight) in the Premier League than in matches against Leicester (five).
Guardiola was at least able to offer positive fitness news for Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne.
“Phil did the first training session yesterday and Kevin was training alone and then with the players still here,” he said. “They feel much better.”