Liverpool duo Alisson and Fabinho have been given the all-clear to play for the Reds on Sunday, after the Brazilian FA waived the five-day restriction imposed on their players – at their request.
The news broke last night and it serves as a welcome boost to several Premier League sides, as equivalent bodies in Mexico, Chile and Paraguay have also moved to withdraw their complaints to FIFA, meaning the likes of Raphinha and Raul Jiminez will be able to play for Leeds United and Wolves this weekend.
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Liverpool are believed to have been ready to defy the Brazilian FA and FIFA by selecting Alisson and Fabinho on Sunday afternoon, regardless of the eventual waiving.
The Athletic’s James Pearce mused as much on Twitter, and we at Empire of the Kop agree with his opinion – it would have been petty and unnecessary to uphold the ban.
Those who would have felt the punishment most were the players, as mentioned by Jurgen Klopp in his pre-match press conference, and it’d have served no-one well to prevent them from turning out for their clubs this weekend.