Emi Martinez

[Scott Nielsen]

Does it really matter if they quarantine at home or in a hotel room? You get a treadmill and/or bike in plus some weights/bands and it's not difficult to stay physically fit for a short period of time. Match/training sharp, not so much of course.

A huge difference, surely.  They don't get to choose a penthouse suite with loads of room, it'll be a Premier Inn if they're lucky. Completely different to being able to run around a garden and kick a ball about. It'll be like being in prison for two weeks, except they won't be allowed out, at all.

I didn't know that. Here, and in Singapore, you select your quarantine hotel yourself. Anything reasonably decent and you can add bikes, treadmills etc. to your booking. You can also deliver stuff to the room (e.g. weights and so forth) and obviously catered food.

[Risso]

In the UK, you don't even get to choose from a list of hotels. You put in the website what airport you're arriving into and get what you're given.

Also, does anybody think they're really going to play in the Everton match?

Argentina play Brazil on Sunday Sept 5 at 8pm, and they're four hours behind GMT. Assuming they fly back in the morning, best case scenario with the flight time and time difference they're not arriving in the UK until Monday 6th, and to do that they've have to set off at the crack of dawn. That's day 0 for quarantine purposes. They then have 10 full days in a Travel Tavern trying not to go stir crazy, before finally being allowed out on Friday 17, they day before we play, having had no training or even proper exercise for 10 days. If they're slightly later setting off and they don't arrive until the Tuesday, then they don't get out of quarantine until the actual day of the Everton match. Either way, it's not very likely they'll play.

[Dante Lavelli]

Does it really matter if they quarantine at home or in a hotel room? You get a treadmill and/or bike in plus some weights/bands and it's not difficult to stay physically fit for a short period of time. Match/training sharp, not so much of course.

A huge difference, surely.  They don't get to choose a penthouse suite with loads of room, it'll be a Premier Inn if they're lucky. Completely different to being able to run around a garden and kick a ball about. It'll be like being in prison for two weeks, except they won't be allowed out, at all.

between Villa and Spurs I reckon they could block book a hotel with decent facilities and get it signed off by the government.  Money talks after all.  In fact the players should be the ones stumping up the cash.

Theoretically could they spend time in a different green/amber country and train there?

[Brazilian Villain]

Does it really matter if they quarantine at home or in a hotel room?

Less chance of being sexually harassed if you're at home.

[Risso]

Apparently they're off to a Croatian island or something. Bizarre.

[Risso]

This site (in Spanish) is saying that the four Villa and Spurs players will train together on a Croatian island after the Argentina qualifiers before returning to their clubs. More worryingly though, it says that the Argentine FA flatly denies that Martinez and Buendia are allowed to duck out of the third game, and that all four players must play all three games.

https://www.tycsports.com/seleccion-argentina/seleccion-argentina-premier-league-aislamiento-dibu-martinez-cuti-romero-emiliano-buendia-giovani-lo-celso-id368840.html

[Mister E]

If they've been double-jabbed, I thought they just needed to produce a negative PCR test to be clear to carry on.

[Ian.]

I must admit it’s rather gutting and another disruption to add to our very messy pre-season and woeful injury list. I do agree with the clubs stance on this. We have to support the players for representing their Nation. A top athlete will always want to do their best.

I still can’t stand International Football though.

[Risso]

If that link I've posted turns out to be correct and they do have to play all three matches, they'll miss Chelsea and Everton in the league, and also Chelsea in the League Cup.

[N'ZMAV]

International football at a time like this is fucking bizarre.

[London Villan]

Shame Heaton isnt still around.

[olaftab]

If they've been double-jabbed, I thought they just needed to produce a negative PCR test to be clear to carry on.

If they return from a green list country after staying there for 10 days. Let's hope this Croatian island is on that list.

[Risso]

https://www.reuters.com/article/soccer-argentina-idINL1N2Q103K

"Aug 29 (Reuters) - Argentina said on Sunday that Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia were available for all three of their September World Cup qualifiers, despite the Premier League club saying the players would only take part in the first two.

Goalkeeper Martinez and winger Buendia have been called up for Argentina’s triple header against Venezuela (Sept. 2), Brazil (Sept. 5) and Bolivia (Sept. 9) in their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign.

The Premier League had said its clubs would not release players called up for international duty if they are playing matches in a country on the UK’s red list but both players flew out to join their team mates in Buenos Aires after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Brentford.

“Both players have agreed to make themselves available for Argentina’s vital first two World Cup qualifying matches against Venezuela and Brazil but will not take part in the third international match against Bolivia,” Aston Villa said on the club’s website.

“These arrangements mean that Martinez and Buendia will only miss our Premier League match with Chelsea before being available for the visit of Everton to Villa Park on 18th September in order to comply with the UK’s COVID quarantine regulations.”

However, a spokesperson for the Argentine Football Association said both players would be available for all three games and cited an earlier Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling against La Liga on a similar issue.

“Our players are scheduled for three knockout dates and that’s it,” said the spokesperson."

Not looking very promising.

[cdbearsfan]

Well, presumably Argentina will want them again for the next set of qualifiers. If they're unwilling to compromise, as Villa (and only one other club) have done, then fuck them. If they play all three games I wouldn't be releasing them at all for the next set of qualifiers.

I can understand that they'd want to play against Brazil, especially when they're yet to even come close to guaranteeing qualification. However, having them play a home match against Bolivia, who they could probably beat if they picked their under-16 girls futsal squad, is taking the piss.

[Risso]

The Premier League banned players from going to all such matches, but they went anyway. What makes you think next time would be any different?