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French league clubs opt to limit release of internationals

The French football league (LFP) announced on Wednesday that its clubs will not release players for internationals outside certain European countries in the upcoming break to avoid possible quarantine on their return.

The LFP said that would include all matches outside the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EAA), which also includes Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

“In the absence of an exemption from quarantine for foreign international players made available to their national team… clubs will not make foreign players called up for matches outside the EU/EEA zone available to their national teams during the next international period in March,” said an LFP statement.

It said the decision, taken following a consultation with club presidents, was “unanimous”. Several Ligue 1 clubs, including Brest, Nantes, Metz and Dijon, had already said they intended to stop internationals travelling.

FIFA has relaxed its rules on calling up players for the upcoming international break, allowing clubs to hold back their footballers if a Covid-19 quarantine would be mandatory on return.

Across Europe, leading clubs have been increasingly vocal in saying they want to block their internationals from travelling outside the continent.

Even some games in Europe, such as the Serbia-Portugal World Cup qualifier scheduled for March 27, will be affected.

The French team, which is due to travel outside the EU to face Kazakhstan on March 28 and then to Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 31, after hosting Ukraine on March 24, is expected to be granted an exemption by the government.

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