FIFPRO says players should not be forced to travel to high-risk countries for international matches this year.
And the world players’ union has cast doubt over some upcoming fixtures going ahead amid fears of a Coronavirus second wave.
Europe is now the only continent that will stage internationals in September, with the rest resuming in October and November.
Stephen Kenny’s first game as Ireland boss is on September 3 when the Boys in Green are due in Bulgaria for the Nations League opener.
Ireland also have away games in Finland and Wales as well as the all-important Euro 2020 playoff semi-final against Slovakia in Bratislava on October 8.
As it stands, those games - and the ones at home - will go ahead but today a top medical official in Ireland painted a sobering domestic picture.
Dr Cillian De Gascun, the national virus laboratory director, warned that Ireland could return to phase two if the number of Covid-19 cases rises to more than 100 per day.
On Monday, the Government will publish its ‘green list’ of countries that Irish people can travel to and from without having to quarantine.
But Bulgaria - who will host Ireland in just seven weeks - is believed to be among the European countries that could be excluded, along with Romania and Sweden.
Potentially, that could lead to quarantine issues for the Irish team who are due to play Finland in Dublin just three days later.
FIFPRO general secretary Jonas Baer-Hoffmann insists no player should be forced to travel for a match if it’s not safe.
And, he said, that should be the case even if it means having to scrap internationals in the coming months.
Baer-Hoffmann said: “If there’s a scenario in which there is travel advice and travel restrictions, then quite frankly we can’t force the players.
“We can’t force them through footballing regulations to take a risk like that and expose themselves or their families to that degree.
“Even if they do travel, there are still questions about the medical protocols.
“Some of the European leagues are quite sophisticated, we want to make sure it’s the same when they go and play for their countries as well.
“You have to put safety and caution first.”
Ireland’s playoff against Slovakia was initially scheduled for March but delayed until June because of the pandemic.
It was postponed a second time with UEFA then slotting it into the middle of the Nations League schedule.
With top-tier nations in regular action, the Nations League is far more lucrative for UEFA than the Euro playoffs.
So those matches were never in jeopardy and the hope now is to finish the Nations League group stage and Euro qualifiers ahead of the World Cup 2022 qualifiers in March.
But FIFPro boss Baer-Hoffmann added: “Everyone apart from Europe will not play national team football in September.
“The assumption is that after that, everything continues as normal.
“I think we’d be quite bold to rely on the idea that everywhere around the world national team football will be played in October, or even in November.
“We have to realistically plan that we may lose more matches.”
