Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has offered his sympathies to his Brazilian contingent of players following FIFA's five-day ban ruling.
The Reds refused to allow Alisson Becker, Fabinho and the injured Roberto Firmino to link up with the Selecao for September's fixtures, which led to the Brazilian FA triggering a five-day ban through FIFA.
As a result, the trio will miss out against Leeds United through suspension, and Klopp has lamented their absences while insisting that the situation of preventing players from playing is "really not okay".
Speaking to the press ahead of Sunday's game with Leeds, Klopp said: "It's a really difficult situation, tricky for the club and the players. The clubs wanted to let the players go but it just wasn't possible.
"The players love to play, that's what they do. It's really not OK, we didn't decide the players couldn't go. We're still in a pandemic. We have to be on top of that until the end of it. We get tested 3 times a week and that means [if any positives] we quarantine."
The likes of Ederson, Fred, Raphinha have also been impacted by FIFA's ban, with the latter unavailable to face the Reds, who were linked with a move for the attacker in the summer window.
Ben Knapton
