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Sport

10th Sep 2021

Premier League clubs ‘agree they will defy FIFA and play their banned players’ this weekend

Steve Hopkins

The clubs are said to have found a workaround

Premier League clubs are reportedly planning to ignore FIFA’s demand not to play their “banned” players in matches this weekend.

Eleven South and Central American players were due to be suspended from playing by FIFA after they did not appear for international duties when clubs refused to send them to red-list countries.

According to The Sun, Premier League clubs have agreed that they will not make any complaints if their rivals field players subject to the ban.

Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool were set to be hardest hit after South American nations tried to hit back when clubs blocked their star players from travelling. This resulted in FIFA announcing a five-day restriction on those involved.

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Players impacted included Liverpool’s Brazilian trio Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino, opponents Leeds’s Raphinha, Manchester City’s Ederson and Gabriel Jesus, Chelsea’s Thiago Silva and Manchester United’s Fred along with Wolves striker Raul Jimenez of Mexico, Newcastle’s Paraguay forward Miguel Almiron and Watford’s Francisco Sierralta, of Chile.

It was announced Friday that Jimenez was cleared to play for Wolves against Watford after the Mexican FA withdrew their complaint.

Not only would some of those players miss this weekend’s Premier League games, but they would also be prevented from playing in the Champions League midweek.