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Updated March 20th, 2021 at 12:07 IST

Infantino “saddened” by Covid rules banning player travel to national teams

Infantino said FIFA have also been approached with child abuse cases and are in dialogue with intergovernmental bodies to potentially set up a "specialized agency" to deal with the issue, supplementing FIFA's Guardian programme, set up in 2019.

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino is "saddened" that European Covid-19 travel restrictions are preventing players from traveling to play upcoming international games. Speaking in a virtual media conference after Friday's meeting of the FIFA Council, the leader of world football's governing body confirmed that having spoken to national governments, he expects decisions in the next few hours on whether quarantine exceptions will be made for players to travel to World Cup qualifiers across the world.

Infantino also stressed how world football needs to confront the issue of child abuse in the game following the publication of a report on Wednesday which declared there was an "institutional failure" by the English Football Association in protecting children from paedophile coaches in widespread sexual abuse from 1970 to 2005.

The English Football Association-commissioned independent review said there were at least 692 abuse survivors and 240 suspects in a 710-page report that catalogued failings by eight clubs, including Chelsea and Manchester City, to act on concerns about eight of the most prolific perpetrators of male sexual abuse. Infantino said FIFA have also been approached with child abuse cases and are in dialogue with intergovernmental bodies to potentially set up a "specialized agency" to deal with the issue, supplementing FIFA's Guardian programme, set up in 2019.

(Image Credit: AP)

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Published March 20th, 2021 at 12:07 IST

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