Sevilla requests to postpone their match against Barcelona as CAS reject La Liga appeal against the extension of the South American international window

Sevilla and La Liga have requested the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to postpone the club’s game against Barcelona that was scheduled for September 11.

Sevilla and La Liga have requested the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to postpone the club’s game against Barcelona that was scheduled for September 11, as the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected La Liga’s move to deny the South American CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying window from being extended.

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A two-day extension was granted by FIFA to help national teams in South America play in matches that were postponed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The international fixture window in South America will now end on the 10th of September, which is a day before all the league matches for various clubs in Europe started again. Many teams are scheduled to have matches just a day after this window ends which is the Sevilla vs Barcelona match.

Sevilla said in a statement that the RFEF’s Competition Committee will meet this week to assess their request which has come as a result of the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision to deny the modification of the South-American FIFA calendar.

There has already been controversy regarding the international fixtures in South America, as various clubs are refusing to release their players. The Premier League have already decided not to send these players to play for their national team, as many countries in South America come under the Red List of countries under the British Government. If an individual comes back from a Red List country, then they require a strict quarantine of 10 days which may hamper many clubs.

This was followed by similar directives in La Liga and Serie A. Many South American players like Edison Cavani and Alisson have expressed displeasure with these directives as they consider it an honour to represent the nation. FIFA has also asked the British Government not to ask already monitored players to quarantine.

This situation has already turned ugly and has prompted debates around club vs national loyalties. The same issue will come back again in October, with the CONMEBOL window extended again to accommodate pending fixtures.