Romero’s absence from Argentina throws Tottenham plan into doubt
By Aaron Coe
According to the Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur had found a creative way around the red-list country issue but that will only work if the national teams play along.
We have known for a while that Tottenham Hotspur, among other teams, would have a problem with the international breaks and Covid, given the red-list status of all of South America. According to the Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur as well as Aston Villa, has found a little pathway to get their players back as fast and fit as possible. However, after Cristian Romero was absent from the Argentina roster on Thursday, one has to wonder if La Albiceleste is really going to hold up their end. So what is the problem, what is the potential solution, and what may scupper this plan to get the players back to the club as quickly as possible?
Covid, red-list, and a 10-day wait
Most people, a football fan or not, are aware of the challenges of traveling internationally right now. In England that is particularly difficult where the red-list status of many countries forces people to quarantine.
Essentially anyone who has been in red list country within 10 days prior to arrival in the UK must submit themselves to a 10-day quarantine. Making this quarantine more difficult for a professional footballer, people are confined to their hotel rooms at specially identified locations.
Long story short, you are stuck in a box for 10-days, which does not exactly jive with playing 90 minutes of football at the highest level. However, Tottenham and Aston Villa apparently have found the best possible workaround to support the national teams and get their players back as quickly as possible.