Liverpool may not allow their players to travel overseas for international matches later this month if they are required to quarantine for 10 days on their return to England, the Premier League club's manager Juergen Klopp said on Wednesday.
Liverpool's Brazilian players Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino and Portugal forward Diogo Jota could face 10 days in quarantine on their return to the United Kingdom from COVID-19 "red-list" countries.
World soccer governing body FIFA has said clubs can refuse to release players if they are required to quarantine for more than five days on their return.
"I understand the need of different Football Associations but it's a time where you cannot make everybody happy," Klopp told a news conference ahead of Thursday's clash with Chelsea.
"The players are paid by the clubs so that means we have to be the first priority. You cannot make everyone happy in this period of our lives.
"We're not 100% sure because it's not clear as some countries might change the venues where they play. You always have to wait until the last second pretty much because people need time to make decisions.
"I think everybody agrees that we cannot let the players go and come back and quarantine for 10 days in a hotel - that's not how we can do it."
Klopp said he was concerned about his players leaving the club's bio-secure bubble for international matches.
"All the things that happened from a virus point of view in the last few months were when someone had to leave the bubble," the German manager said.
"In England, it's all going in the right direction and looks positive and promising. Yes, we're concerned about these kinds of things."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
