Ministers have refused to bend Covid rules on quarantine exemptions for Premier League stars called up to play for their national teams in this month's World Cup qualifiers in 'red list' countries.
And if footballers decide to heed the call of their countries, they will face 10 days in quarantine in a Government-approved hotel on their return to the UK, just like everyone else.
The isolation period would rule players out of at least two club matches and potentially impact on their fitness, depending how and where they were billeted, and it has sparked club versus country dilemmas throughout the league.