Brazil vs Argentina fallout: Tottenham set to fine Giovani, Romero after defying club orders
Tottenham Hotspur duo Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero are set to be fined by the club after joining up with the Argentina national squad without permission.
Sky Sports News has learned that Lo Celso and Romero will be disciplined for making the trip to South America for games against Venezuela and Brazil against the club’s wishes, with both players expected to receive hefty fines.
Lo Celso and Romero are planning on flying to Croatia, along with Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia, following the controversial suspension of Argentina’s World Cup qualifier in Brazil to avoid having to quarantine. The four Argentine Premier League-based players were accused of not following strict Covid protocols upon entering Brazil.
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Crucially, Buendia and Martinez have both followed the agreement set out with Villa before they left for the international break, and there is no suggestion they have done anything wrong, but the same cannot be said for the Tottenham duo.
Sky Sports News has been told Martinez and Buendia will fly to Croatia along with Lo Celso and Romero, rather than the UK, so they can continue training before returning to England for their club.
A trip straight back to the UK from South America would have meant 10 days in government hotel quarantine but stopping off for that period in a green list country means they can train and then travel back to the UK without quarantine.
If it goes as the players wish, each of them will only miss one Premier League match before being available for selection again.
That would mean Martinez and Buendia would miss Villa’s trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea, while Lo Celso and Romero would both miss Spurs’ visit to Crystal Palace.
It is understood that the flight and accommodation to Croatia is being organised by the players and their representatives directly, rather than with the involvement of their clubs.
Tottenham are in a difficult position because Romero only joined the club a month ago for a fee of £42m from Atalanta.
While it’s thought Spurs officials do not want to damage the new relationship, they nevertheless feel they need to enforce a strong message concerning discipline.