Players fly to World Cup qualifiers despite quarantine gripe

By ROB HARRIS
AP Global Soccer Writer

Argentina players Emi Martinez and Emi Buendia face 10 days in hotel quarantine on their return to England after Aston Villa allowed them to fly to South America for World Cup qualifiers. That was despite the Premier League’s collective decision not to permit travel to red-list countries due to the pandemic. The Spanish league also accepted defeat for now in its attempt to block players from going to World Cup qualifiers in South America. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled against La Liga’s complaint that a triple-header of fixtures would end too close to the resumption of its competition next month.