South American players should be given the chance to opt out of playing the Copa America this month, the World Leagues Forum said in an open letter to FIFA and the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) on Saturday.
The WLF, an organization that represents more than 40 professional leagues and their clubs, said the abrupt decision to move the Copa America to Brazil after Argentina pulled out due to a surge in COVID-19 cases "directly affect(s) leagues, their member clubs and their players."
"As far as the WLF is concerned, given this sudden change of location and circumstances ... we consider that players should be given the opportunity to withdraw from the competition and that clubs should be able to recall their players, specifically if there is a travel restriction or a quarantine obligation on their return," said the letter seen by Reuters.