Liverpool midfielder Fabinho has spoken out on the current international break situation.
In an interview with ESPN Brasil journalist João Castelo Branco, the 27-year-old explained the whole situation which stopped him and his teammates from joining the Brazilian national team for the current World Cup qualifying fixtures.
“It’s a difficult situation, because we want to defend our country, we want to play for the Brazilian team,” Fabinho told ESPN Brasil.
“But I don’t think it’s just between club and national team. It’s a government rule, I don’t think the English FA could change that, I think. I believe that FIFA would not be able to change either, neither Conmebol nor the CBF.
“We players are in the middle of this kind of dispute, right, without much to do. Because it was a Premier League decision not to release us. And on the one hand, we even understand, because on the way back I would have to stay 10 days in a hotel. Maybe lose three games. And 10 days is enough for you to lose a game rhythm. So it’s hard.
“But we also understand the side of the national team, that the national team cannot have nine players. Nine players, that’s a lot of players. So we stay in the middle of this dispute hoping that there is really a solution.”
Fabinho claimed he still doesn’t know if he’ll be able to face Leeds United on Sunday.
“I still don’t know if I’ll be able to play, there’s this punishment from FIFA. But if they are giving punishment, let them also bring us some solution, because we are waiting for this solution. We want to go to Brazil, we want to defend the Brazilian team. And we really hope that there’s a solution so that we can go back and forth without any problems.”
Fabinho, Alisson and Roberto Firmino were three of the nine Premier League players who could not join Brazil for the matches against Chile, Argentina and Peru.
Even though the match against Argentina was stopped because people who’d been in England were supposed to quarantine when landing in Brazil, the Brazilians would have an exception to that rule and would be eligible for the match.
Now as Fabinho asks for FIFA’s solution, a new call-up is being made by national team manager Tite next week. It’s already been claimed by the local media that he will not give up on naming players from the Premier League.
