Chinese Super League (CSL) clubs Beijing Guoan and Guangzhou Evergrande have refused to release their players for South Korea's upcoming international friendlies in Austria, Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) said Guoan defender Kim Min-jae and Evergrande defender Park Ji-su will be unavailable for the games against Mexico on Nov. 14 and Qatar on Nov. 17. No replacements have been named for the two players.
If players face mandatory quarantine of at least five days upon returning to their clubs after international fixtures, clubs may refuse to release them, Yonhap said.
Guoan and Evergrande are among the four CSL teams set to travel to Qatar for the remainder of their AFC Champions League campaign.
Evergrande face Johor on Nov. 19, while Guoan take on FC Seoul on Nov. 21, matches the South Korean duo would have missed if required to self-isolate in line with Qatar's government guidelines.
(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
