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Premier League clubs are set to reject a request from Argentina to leave their players out of the final round of matches before the 2022 World Cup.
According to the Daily Mail, one English club have already been asked by Argentina to release a player early for the competition.
That club have, however, immediately rejected the request. They have also warned fellow Premier League clubs of the impending request.
Eight players potentially involved in Argentina request
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There are a total of eight Argentina players currently playing Premier League football that could be impacted. This includes Manchester United duo Lisandro Martinez and Alejandro Garnacho.
Aston Villa pair Emiliano Buendia and Emiliano Martinez are also from Argentina. Tottenham Hotspur’s Cristian Romero and Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister also play for the South American country.
Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez and Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi are also Argentinian.
It remains to be seen if a selection of, or indeed all eight players will be called up. Each World Cup nation must name their final 26-man squads by November 13.
Argentina want players to miss final Premier League gameweek
It is understood Argentina want their players to be available for the World Cup as soon as possible. This would involve them missing the Premier League round of fixtures on November 12-13.
FIFA rules state that clubs do not have to release their players for the tournament until November 14.
The South American side have planned a friendly match against the United Arab Emirates for November 16. The encounter comes six days before their World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia.
Argentina then play Mexico on November 26, and Poland on November 30. The South American nation currently sit third in the FIFA world rankings.
It is understood the Argentinian FA may also request Spanish clubs to release their Argentina internationals early after the final round of La Liga matches on November 8-10.
The preliminary round of the Copa del Rey is scheduled to take place on the weekend of November 12-13. The likes of Atletico Madrid and Sevilla will feature in this round.
Due to an injury, Giovani Lo Celso may be allowed to leave by Villarreal. But that may not be the case for other Argentinian players based in La Liga.
Will Premier League ignite previous controversy?
This is not the first run-in that English football has had with a South American nation. Last year, Premier League clubs refused to release both Argentinian and Brazilian players for World Cup qualifiers in countries on the UK Government’s Covid red list.
The clubs made the decision despite the risk of FIFA sanctions. Travelling to the region meant the players would need to quarantine for 10 days upon their return to the UK.
But the likes of Romero and Lo Celso were soon allowed to play by Spurs. The same situation eventually arrived for Villa’s Martinez and Buendia.
After all the fuss, the match between Argentina and Brazil was suspended by Brazilian health officials just six minutes after getting underway.
The suspension and ultimate cancellation came as the Premier League players were adjudged to have violated the country’s quarantine restrictions.
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