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AmaZulu FC kicked off their debut Caf Champions League campaign in the worst possible fashion after a 1-0 defeat to Nyasa Big Bullets in the first round first-leg match on Friday evening.

Former Orlando Pirates Chiukepo Msowoya scored the only goal of the match which saw his Big Bullets teammate Yamikani Fodya being sent off, but Usuthu couldn't take advantage of their numerical superiority over the Malawian champions. 

Having stressed the importance of former Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates players in his side's Champions League campaign, AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy named seven stars, who were once on the books of the Soweto giants in the starting line-up. 

Philani Zulu, Tercious Malepe, Kgotso Moleko, Xola Mlambo, Thabo Qalinge, Luvuyo Memela, and Lehlohonolo Majoro all started for Usuthu as they looked to secure a victory in Africa's premier club tournament.

AmaZulu controlled the encounter from the start with Big Bullets happy to sit back with their defence looking resolute and the visitors were also looking to launch quick counter-attacks on the flanks against the hosts.

Usuthu won several free-kicks near the opposition's box, but Memela and Sphesihle Maduna could not trouble goalkeeper Richard Chimbamba as their attempts from the set-pieces missed the target.

The visitors took a surprise lead after keeper Veli Mothwa fumbled a long ball from a set-piece and Msowoya poked the ball home from close range to hand Big Bullets a 1-0 lead a minute before the half-hour mark.

The goal gave the People's Team some confidence as they began attacking in numbers and they nearly made it 2-0 when an unmarked Babatunde Adepoju's header hit the upright with the Usuthu defence exposed.

However, Big Bullets were reduced to 10 players when Fodya was given a straight red card after making a reckless challenge on Qalinge, but the People's Team were able to contain AmaZulu and the score was 1-0 to the visitors at half-time.

McCarthy made a tactical change prior to the start of the second-half as he pulled out attacking midfielder Qalinge and introduced centre forward Siphelele Mthembu, who joined Majoro upfront as twin strikers.

Usuthu bombarded the People's Team with crosses with Mthembu connecting with Zulu's curling ball, but the former Chiefs star couldn't direct the ball towards goal, before Moleko's header was blocked at the near-post.

McCarthy changed his approach with less than 20 minutes left on the clock as he introduced ball-playing midfielders Keagan Buchanan and Hendrick Ekstein, who both looked to play some defence-splitting passes.

Buchanan watched in disbelief as his thunderous shot hit the upright with Chimbamba rooted to the ground and Ekstein's low shot was cleared off the goal-line and then Big Bullets held on to secure a 1-0 win over AmaZulu.

The second-leg encounter is scheduled to be played on 18 September with Big Bullets hosting AmaZulu at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe, Malawi.

Martin Odegaard is aiming to reverse Arsenal's fortunes, with both the Champions League and the Premier League in his sights.

The Norway international made a permanent move to north London this summer following a successful loan spell from Real Madrid last term, and has signed a four-year deal.

He has arrived amid the club's worst start to a campaign in recent memory, with the Gunners rooted to the bottom of the top flight - but the 22-year-old has outlined his bold hopes for the future in red and white.

What has been said?

“To get the club up the table, to the top of the league and to fight for European football,” Odegaard told Sky Sports, when asked about his aims with the Gunners.

“For this season, obviously we want to get back to European football and then hopefully with time, win trophies, the Champions League and hopefully win the Premier League within a couple of years.

“That’s how it should be at this club, that’s the standard.”

Arsenal face fight to end European exodus

It has been some time since the Gunners last found themselves competing at the top end of the Premier League table - and therefore, earning a place in the Champions League.

They last competed in Europe's top competition in 2016-17, when they topped Group A in the first stage before they were eliminated in brutal fashion by Bayern Munich. who notched a 10-2 aggregate round-of-16 victory.

Their wait for a Premier League trophy, meanwhile, stretches even further back, with Arsenal having last lifted the crown way back in 2004, during Arsene Wenger's famed Invincibles era.

The bigger picture

This season's lack of continental football perhaps may have been viewed as a blessing in pre-season amid an increasingly hectic club schedule - though the threat of failing to qualify once more is already looming.

Odegaard will hope to have a crucial impact on turning those fortunes around however, following his arrival from Santiago Bernabeu.

The Gunners face fellow strugglers Norwich City on Saturday in a vital game as they look to kickstart their campaign.

Further reading

An unusual scenario has transpired whereby a number of Premier League clubs find themselves at odds with the Brazil football association (CBF) and other South American associations.

Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are among the high-profile teams that will potentially be affected, with the national associations invoking a FIFA rule to prevent players from playing.

So what exactly is the rule, which players are at risk of missing out and why has the entire saga developed in this way? Goal has all the details.

What is the five-day FIFA rule affecting players in the Premier League?

The rule in question here is Annexe 1, Article 5 of FIFA's Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players.

Designed to protect national teams from unnecessary club-influenced withdrawals, it effectively prevents players who have been called up for international teams from playing for their clubs during the time they should have been released for duty - plus five days after the international window.

In this particular instance, that additional five days covers the period September 10 to September 14.

The wording of Article 5 reads: "A player who has been called up by his association for one of its representative teams is, unless otherwise agreed by the relevant association, not entitled to play for the club with which he is registered during the period for which he has been released or should have been released pursuant to the provisions of this annexe, plus an additional period of five days."

How did the dispute arise?

It is a classic 'Club versus Country' dispute.

Ahead of the September 2021 international window, Premier League clubs "reluctantly but unanimously" decided not to release players to the United Kingdom's 'red list' countries due to the need for them to quarantine for a period of 10 days upon their return.

A statement from the league explained: "If required to quarantine on return from red list countries, not only would players’ welfare and fitness be significantly impacted, but they would also be unavailable to prepare for and play in two Premier League match rounds, a UEFA club competition matchday and the third round of the EFL Cup."

As well as the Brazil football association, the governing bodies for the Mexico, Paraguay and Chile teams have also invoked the rule, in protest at the refusal to release players.

Diplomatic efforts have been made involving representatives from the Premier League clubs, FIFA and the national associations in an attempt to amicably resolve the situation.

Which Premier League players are affected?

A number of key players from Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea are affected, along with players at Wolves, Newcastle United, Leeds United and Watford.

Liverpool duo Alisson and Fabinho will be affected should the rule continue to apply (Roberto Firmino is out with injury), while Ederson and Gabriel Jesus will be precluded from playing for Manchester City, though Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola are both hopeful they will be involved.

Others from the Brazilian cohort include Chelsea defender Thiago Silva is set to be affected, as will Manchester United midfielder Fred and Leeds United forward Raphinha.

Wolves and Mexico striker Raul Jimenez was set to be affected too, though the Mexico association withdrew their complaint. Others to be affected are Watford's Chile international Francisco Sierralta and Newcastle's Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron.

Uganda's Caf Champions League ambassadors Express FC took a 2-1 first-leg victory against Al Merreikh of Sudan in a match played at St Mary's Stadium on Saturday.

Erick Kambale and Martin Kizza scored for the Ugandan Premier League winners, while Bakri Elgadir found the back of the net in favour of the visitors.

Although the Red Eagles started the game slowly, they registered an opener in the sixth minute when Kambale - with an assist from Kizza - managed to beat Al Merreikh's goalkeeper, Monged Abuzaid, at close range.

The visitors won a free kick in the seventh minute, Express stopped them and launched a counter-attack, but Godfrey Lwesibawa was flagged down after he was caught in an off-side position as he was about to enter the 18-yard box.

Another counter-attack by Express came in the 26th minute as Muzamiru Mutyaba and Kizza led the forward move. Mutyaba tried to find Kizza with a final cross but the latter could not connect with the ball which went out.

A persistent Al Merreikh restored parity in the 38th minute when Elgadir headed home after they had won a corner that was delivered by Tony Omayarue.

Express made a change in the 55th minute as George Senkaaba came on for Muzamiru Mutyaba, and four minutes later, they restored the lead when Kizza struck home with the assist coming from Lwesibawa.

Al Merreikh's Mohamed Mahmoud and Ahmed Mahmoud came on for Hashim Mohamed and Mahmoud Salaheldin in the 70th minute before Express' Joseph Akandwanaho replaced Lwesibawa.

Al Merreikh's further changes came in the 82nd minute - when Tajeldin Badawi replaced Ahmed Ahmed while Abd Elrahman came on for Omayarue - but they could not help much as Express defended hard and finally emerged as the winners of the first leg.

Express XI: Joel Mutakubwa, Enock Walusimbi, Arthur Kiggundu, Isa Lumu, Murushid Juuko, Daniel Shabena, Yaya Kakooza, Godfrey Lwesibawa, Muzamiru Mutyaba, Martin Kizza, Erick Kambale.

Subs: Denis Otim,  Denis Mubuya, Joseph Akandwanaho, Charles Musiige, John Byamukama, Abel Eturude, George Senkaaba, John Byamukama.

Al Merrikh XI: Salman Monged,  Ahmed Ahmed, Suliman Amir, Ahmed Mohamed, Mahmoud Salaheldin, Musa Mahjoub, Mohamed Idris, Elsamani Saadelin, Hussein Al-Gozoli, Bakri Elgadir, Tony Omayarue.

Subs: Mohamed Mohamed, Mohamed Mahamoud, Wagdi Abd Alla, Ahmed Mahmoud, Tajeldin Badawi, Ahmed Yousif, Abd Hassan.

Weston McKennie will return to the Juventus starting XI for the match against Napoli on Saturday despite being kicked out of the United States squad this week.

The midfielder was dropped from the team before the World Cup qualifying clash with Honduras for violating Covid-19 protocol.

McKennie apologised for the violation but was warned by USMNT hero Landon Donovan that he risks ruining his future with his country.

What has been said?

Despite the controversy, however, Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri has said McKennie is certain to feature in this weekend's Serie A clash.

He said at a press conference: "McKennie is fine and will be in the first XI, we will see in what role. Federico Chiesa will stay at home as a precaution.

"Tomorrow we have the ideal line-up to play against Napoli. In moments of difficulty we have to pull out something more to get out of it."

Does McKennie have a future in the USMNT?

McKennie has faced a lot of criticism in his homeland for his conduct, with reports claiming he twice disregarded the team's restrictions.

But coach Gregg Berhalter has said the 23-year-old will be back in the team eventually, telling reporters: "Me and Weston had long conversations. He's a guy that I care for deeply.

"He's a big part of the team and I'm sure when he's performing well he'll be back on the team."

How has McKennie performed for Juventus?

McKennie joined Juve from Schalke last year on an initial loan deal before making the move permanent at the end of the season.

He scored five times in 34 Serie A appearances in 2020-21 but has played just 45 minutes of the current campaign.

After missing the first league game of the season due to suspension, McKennie started against Empoli at the end of August but was substituted at half-time.

Reports in Italy claimed the club were considering selling him in the transfer window, but Allegri confirmed to reporters that he wanted him to stay.

Further reading

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It’s that time of year again when the evenings start drawing in and all of a sudden you’re having to wear long sleeves and trousers again. Now is a good time to refresh your wardrobe and keep warm in style. The Umbro end of summer sale is the perfect opportunity to pick up some cheap football boots, discounted trainers or just some nice new clothes.

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Edu (LEAD) and Goal.com (Goal) announced today a new partnership to amplify the impact of sport as a tool for leadership development.

LEAD and Goal are aligned by their shared vision to empower and support future leaders through quality education and sport. Through this partnership, they will highlight the power of LEAD’s leadership development model, showing how the provision of education, sport, nutrition, healthcare, life skills, and pastoral care can deeply transform individual lives – and subsequently entire societies.

In the short term, Goal will feature LEAD’s Liberian and Moroccan student-athletes through a variety of multimedia approaches, including its Fan View series and social media channels. Longer-term, with the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations coming to Morocco in 2022, LEAD and Goal will work together to share powerful stories of girls breaking down barriers both in the classroom and on the pitch.

“We are so excited to partner with Goal and highlight the work of our fantastic leaders at LEAD Monrovia Football Academy in Liberia and LEAD Morocco, said Will Smith, Founder & Executive Director of LEAD Edu.  

‘’Our unique leadership development model expands students’ access to the opportunities they deserve and supports them in fulfilling their potential. We are very proud of the progress and impact we've made since beginning this work in 2015, and we are thrilled that Goal will now help us tell our story.”

From Goal’s standpoint, Head of Operations Zarina Bahdur shared Smith’s sentiments, saying:

“We are looking forward to sharing and telling the stories from LEAD Morocco and LEAD Monrovia Football Academy. There are many initiatives around Africa that speak to the model of life skills and leadership but very few have managed to not only sustain but grow their initiatives to the same degree as the LEAD team.

‘’By creating unique opportunities, they have built up a dynamic team and offering that has proven not only to be successful but has allowed personal growth of each and every person involved in a truly global way. By sharing their stories across our Africa platforms and creating new and exciting initiatives, we believe that many others in the football and education space cannot only aspire to achieve the same but can learn from their experiences, too.’’

Christian Pulisic will miss Chelsea's next three matches because of an ankle injury, Thomas Tuchel says.

The 22-year-old winger suffered the injury during United States' 4-1 win against Honduras in World Cup qualifying.

Pulisic has already missed Chelsea's last two Premier League matches after contracting Covid-19 but is set to be out even longer, while N'Golo Kante is also unavailable.

What has been said?

"Unfortunately we have two players out, N'Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic, they both came back injured," Tuchel said in a press conference ahead of Chelsea's Premier League match against Aston Villa.

"N'Golo got injured against Liverpool and still suffers a little bit. We'll try with N'Golo for Tuesday, so this looks pretty good.

"For Christian unfortunately he came yesterday on crutches, and we have an ankle injury with about 10 days."

Which games will Pulisic miss?

As well as the Aston Villa encounter, Pulisic will miss his side's opening game of the Champions League group stage against Zenit.

He will also be out for the away match against Tottenham but could return for the Carabao Cup clash with Villa on September 22.

Who else is missing?

Chelsea may also be without Thiago Silva for Saturday's match after FIFA ruled eight Premier League players ineligible for this weekend's game.

The order came after the Brazilian football association urged the organisation to punish English clubs after they refused to release players for the World Cup qualifying games.

But Tuchel says there may still be a chance for the centre-back to play.

"Right now Thiago is not officially out. The chairman is still in negotiations and I'm waiting for the final decision," he said.

"For me it's enough if I get the final decision tomorrow. We will take the latest decision tomorrow morning and we still hope he can play."

He added: "I don't understand it and it makes no sense from whatever side you look. Did it make sense for Brazil? No. Did it make sense for us? No, because he may not be able to play two matches.

"If we had sent him, he would've been out for 10 days in a hotel room, not able to train. I understand because these are the travel restrictions, there's nothing to go around it.

"I don't know how any fan in this game can see a positive effect. There is none."

Further reading

Lionel Messi has seen a home debut for Paris Saint-Germain delayed, with Neymar also being ruled out of Mauricio Pochettino's plans for a meeting with Clermont on Saturday.

An Argentine superstar has seen just 24 minutes of game time since securing a switch to Parc des Princes from Barcelona over the summer, with that solitary outing coming on the road at Reims.

Messi has been away on World Cup qualifying duty since then, breaking Pele's record as the top-scoring South American in men's international football, and only saw those endeavours come to a close on Thursday evening.

What has been said?

With there no way of getting Messi, Neymar and Co back into his squad following outings for Argentina and Brazil, Pochettino is having to favour alternative options.

The PSG boss has told reporters of the selection poser he faces: "For the South American players, for a matter of common sense, [Leandro] Paredes, Messi, [Angel] Di Maria, Neymar, they will not be there."

While a number of star turns are set to miss out against Clermont, they are expected to come back into contention for a Champions League group stage opener against Club Brugge on Wednesday.

Who else is missing for PSG?

Pochettino is having to contend with the absence of a number of key men at present, with international performers being joined on the sidelines by those nursing untimely injuries.

Sergio Ramos, Marco Verratti, Colin Dagba, Juan Bernat, Layvin Kurzawa and Ismael Gharbi have all been ruled out in PSG's latest fitness update.

There is some positive news for Pochettino, though, with Kylian Mbappe returning to training on Wednesday.

The World Cup winner had been forced out of France's latest squad after picking up a knock in a meeting with Bosnia-Herzegovina on September 1, but he is raring to go once more.

Pochettino added: "Now Kylian is training with us and we'll see tomorrow if he'll be in the squad."

Presnel Kimpembe also left the French fold during the latest round of action, but he is back in training at club level alongside Argentine striker Mauro Icardi.

Further reading

Massimiliano Allegri has shrugged off Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Juventus, with the Bianconeri boss saying "life goes on" without a player that "didn't want to play for the club anymore".

The summer transfer window in Turin closed with one stunning exit sanctioned and questions being asked of how successful a three-year stint in Italy for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was.

Allegri is eager to close that chapter, with Ronaldo now part of Juve's past, and has no issue with the Portuguese heading back to Manchester United or those still on the books of the Serie A heavyweights.

What has been said?

Discussing the exit of a talismanic presence ahead of a trip to Napoli on Saturday, Allegri told reporters: "Ronaldo didn’t want to play for Juventus anymore, so he returned to United.

"It would have been his last season at Juventus, so we anticipated what we would have done next summer.

"Cristiano spent three amazing years at Juventus and we wish him the best, but life goes on.

"I don’t like to think about what could have happened, in life you need to be practical. Here at Juventus, the group has always won trophies, not the single footballer.

"We have this characteristic in our DNA made of self-love and sacrifice. In order to be competitive and win, we must have ambition and passion."

Who else are Juventus missing?

The Bianconeri are preparing to take in their first outing of 2021-22 without Ronaldo at their disposal, and a number of other senior stars are set to miss out in Naples.

Allegri has taken the decision not to select Paulo Dybala, Alex Sandro and Rodrigo Bentancur on the back of their World Cup qualifying duties in South America, while Juan Cuadrado is under the weather.

"I decided to leave the South Americans at home because they will return too late," Allegri said.

"Cuadrado was the only one who could have joined the team, but he suffered stomach flu. He hasn’t even returned to Italy. He is still in Colombia to undergo some medical examinations."

Euro 2020 winner Federico Chiesa will also be absent after picking up an untimely injury on international duty with Italy.

"Chiesa had a muscular issue, the tests showed no lesion, but I prefer to rest him as a precaution.

"The lad is a bit worried, when you have a muscular issue there could be something behind it."

Further reading

Pep Guardiola is expecting to be able to play Ederson and Gabriel Jesus in Saturday's Premier League clash with Leicester City although he says the situation over their availability remains unclear.

City were among five Premier League clubs that stopped their players travelling to red-list countries in South America, but the Brazilian FA has since responded by imposing a restriction on playing five days after the international window.

Back-up keeper Zack Steffen, meanwhile, is ruled out after testing positive for COVID-19 meaning Guardiola could be forced to field third-choice Scott Carson, who has played just one Premier League in the last 11 years.

What's been said?

"Hopefully they can play. We will wait and see tomorrow if there is some news but we are going to have to wait until tomorrow to see if they can play or not.

"I don't understand the situation for the fact I don't know what we have to do. It's an honour when our players go to their national teams to play for the country where they were born.

"We allowed all the players to play, from Liverpool and United and Arsenal and Chelsea. They had to travel but they are not allowed because they had to quarantine for 10 days in a hotel. It's difficult to understand, that's why we'll wait for a statement from FIFA."

Asked whether they were likely to play, he added: "We are going to wait until tomorrow. Right now I think they are going to play because I don't have other instructions."

Why are Brazilian players banned?

Premier League clubs decided unanimously to stop players from appearing for their country in the latest round of international fixtures, if it meant travel to a red-list country, which would require a 10-day period of quarantine upon their return.

The Brazilian FA hit back by imposing the 'five-day' rule barring them from playing but the Premier League is still hoping for a resolution for the ban which will also see Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Leeds United lose players.

FIFA, who are understood to be uneasy with the ongoing row, unsuccessfully lobbied the UK government to allow quarantine exemptions for players returning from international duty.

Further reading:

Marumo Gallants coach Sebastien Migne has admitted they will need a magician to help them beat Futuro Kings in their preliminary round match of the Caf Confederation Cup on Saturday.

The South African club travelled to Equatorial Guinea for the first leg fixture with only 13 players, and out of the number, they don’t have a goalkeeper as Washington Arubi, who is named in the travelling party to make it 14, is yet to be cleared to travel to Malabo.

The situation has irked coach Migne, who has said the team will need a magician to navigate the fixture in their continental debut at Estadio de Mongomo.

What did Migne say?

“We had a problem with passports with some of the players in our team who didn’t have passports while some were not even registered for Caf, so it is really complicated," Migne said as quoted by KickOff.com from Malabo.

“This is a complicated country to visit with all the visa requirements and without a visa, you need to go back to South Africa after which you travel in from.

“We are hoping that Arubi arrives tonight so that we at least have a keeper in goals. We are keeping our fingers crossed because right now we have 13 players and without a keeper.v

“Some of our best players stayed behind because they are not registered so it is difficult for us here. We don’t need a coach here but rather a magician.”

Gallants have 13 players in Malabo

The French tactician, who at one time handled Kenya’s Harambee Stars, has further revealed he has never faced such a challenge in his entire coaching career.

“This might be the biggest challenge that I have ever had in my career just like it could be for my players. If Arubi arrives we will have 14 players and hope that we don’t have crazy injuries,” Migne continued.

“Travelling needs you to be really organised because to get here we travelled from Polokwane to Johannesburg then Addis Ababa before we got to Malabo.

"As I told you in this situation you need a magician, but we will soldier on since this is all-new for the club. We will use this as a chance to develop team spirit.”

Gallants will host the return leg at Peter Mokaba Stadium on September 17.

Jurgen Klopp is still unsure if Alisson Becker and Fabinho can play for Liverpool against Leeds on Sunday but has defended the decision not to release the players for international duty with Brazil.

Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino, who is out with an injury, are among the eight Brazilian players who are unavailable for the upcoming Premier League fixtures.

FIFA ruled the players ineligible after the Brazilian football association (CBF) asked the governing body to impose the five-day rule in response to clubs refusing to let the players report for the recent World Cup qualifying matches.

What has been said?

Klopp is still in the dark over the availability of his stars ahead of the trip to Elland Road but feels the club and players have been unfairly punished. 

"I can say what I know: I don’t know in the moment. We will see, there are meetings going on," he told the club's website.

"The thing I want to say about that is just, let’s look at the full case. So, we all know we are in the middle of a pandemic, which is difficult for all parts of life and for football it was difficult as well.

"We have a few more games to play than we have to play usually internationally. We had a summer break where all of a sudden somebody organised again a Copa America, where they could have played the games, for example, without playing a Copa America, which they had a year before.

"But people decide without us these kind of things. OK, nobody cares, that’s how it is. They play a Copa America, then they still have more games to play. Then a week or 10 days before the international break we get: ‘OK, we play now three games and the last game is on Thursday night.’ So we have nothing to do with that.

"Friday morning, 1.20am, would have been Brazil against Peru. We have nothing to do with that, we cannot decide anything about it, we just read these things.

"Then we have to think: ‘OK, clear, they are invited.’ But when they come back they have to quarantine [for] 10 days. Again, it’s not our decision, we didn’t say they have to quarantine [for] 10 days, we didn’t say you have to go to the national team, we can’t say nothing – we just sit in between and we think: ‘OK, what’s going on?’

"Our players, if they come back then they have to quarantine 10 days in a random hotel, next to the airport probably, which is not good for any people who have to do that but for a professional football player, being 10 days in a hotel – with the food they get from there – you lose everything. You lose muscle, you lose everything. It means 10 days in the hotel, coming back [and] needing pretty much 10 days to get on track again.

"OK, then the decision was made, not by us: if that’s like this then the players cannot go. OK, they go, other players go, some clubs let their Argentina players go. There’s a game in Brazil against Argentina, officials come on to the pitch, nobody wants to see situations like that. Get the game cancelled, stopped in that moment.

"And now, the next thing, we have a football game to play again and they tell us we cannot play our Brazilian players. It’s like: ‘Huh?’ So, we did nothing. We didn’t organise the Copa America, we are not responsible for the games they couldn’t have played. We didn’t invite players, we didn’t say when they come back there’s no exemption. We all didn’t do that.

"But in the end the only [people] who get punished are the players and the clubs – and we have nothing to do with the whole organisation around. It’s like, ‘What is happening?’

"So I don’t know what will happen at the weekend, to be honest. In this moment, we have to see what other people decide and then we will again accept that probably, do what people tell us and try to win a football game.

"But the whole situation is really just like the whole world in the moment in a nutshell – ‘Ah, in football they have these problems as well.’ Yes, we have these problems. And now we will see who finds the solution."

Who else has been suspended?

Liverpool are not the only team deprived of players as a result of the conflict with the CBF. 

Manchester City duo Gabriel Jesus and Ederson have also been ruled out of their clash with Leicester while Manchester United will be without Fred when they host Newcastle on Saturday.

Chelsea, meanwhile, will miss Thiago Silva for their matches against Aston Villa and Zenit.

Why did clubs refuse to release the players?

Premier League clubs decided to stop players from joining up with their national teams if it meant travel to a red-list country last week. 

The players would have to quarantine for 10 days once back in England as FIFA was unable to convince the UK government to grant exceptions to the Covid-19 precaution.

Further reading