Fifa have told Liverpool that they will not be allowed to select defender Joel Matip for any games until they get authorisation from Cameroon, who are currently competing in the Africa Cup of Nations.
If the Reds fail to get permission, Matip could miss as many as six games and may not don his club’s jersey until they take on Tottenham Hotspur on February 11 if Cameroon make it to the final of the ongoing tournament.
However, last year, the 25-year-old made it clear that he no longer wanted to be selected by Cameroon and was subsequently not included in their squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.
But, even though Matip last featured for Cameroon in September 2015, he was included in a preliminary squad for the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations.
In a statement, a Fifa spokesperson told AFP that Liverpool should read article five of the governing body’s rules, which states that “a player who has been called up by his association for one of its representative teams is, unless otherwise agreed, not entitled to play for his club during the period for which he has been released, plus an additional period of five days”.
Responding to Fifa’s rules, Liverpool believes “that the player should be available for club football during the period of the competition and will continue to work for a speedy and unambiguous resolution”.
However, the Fifa official issued a warning, saying: “Fifa also indicated that any potential violation of the relevant rules would be the subject of an investigation by its disciplinary commission.”
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