The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has asked the British Government for exemptions so Premier League clubs will release African players for World Cup qualifiers in red-list countries.
Clubs in England say they will not release their players for matches in red-list countries.
The decision means Black Stars coach Charles Kwablan Akonnor will have to do without 6 players in Ghana's World Cup 2022 qualifiers against Ethiopia and South Africa.
The players include Daniel Amartey (Leicester City) Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace) Tariqe Fosu (Brentford), Thomas Partey (Arsenal), Andrew Yiadom (Reading FC) and Baba Rahman (Chelsea) for the games next month.
But CAF in a letter suggested a similar approach to the final stages of Euro 2020 be implemented where VIPs attended later-stage Euro 2020 matches without having to isolate.
"CAF notes that similar exemptions were granted by the British Government to enable the attendance of delegations and officials, amongst others, at the finals of the European Championship held less than two months ago," a CAF statement said.
 Below is CAF's full letter
"The Confederation of African Football (“CAFâ€) requests the British Government to grant an exemption to African players for the international window.
CAF has noted the current circumstances in place in Britain regarding the lack of sporting exemptions for players returning from several African countries after the international window next week.
CAF, acting on behalf of all African Member Associations, African players and fans, has urged the British Government to urgently provide the required exemptions to enable African players to compete for their countries in the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022â„¢ï¸ qualifiers.
CAF notes that similar exemptions were granted by the British Government to enable the attendance of delegations and officials, amongst others, at the finals of the European Championship held less than two months ago.
It is further noted that the circumstances in the African countries on the red list in many cases are in fact less severe than other countries not currently on this list or for which exemptions were previously provided.
Furthermore, CAF would like to reiterate that the upcoming matches will be delivered under the strict protocols developed by FIFA and applied across the world, as was the case in previous windows and continental tournaments successfully delivered without any incidents.
These protocols have now proven beyond a doubt that they mitigate the risks involved, reflecting the success of commensurate protocols applied domestically in England and other parts of the world.
In light of the above, CAF has appealed as a matter of urgency, to the Football Association (FA) and the British Government that the same treatment previously applied to Europe now be extended to Africa under the principles of solidarity and equal treatment."
Which countries are on the UK's red list?
- Afghanistan
- Angola
- Argentina
- Bangladesh
- Bolivia
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Burundi
- Cape Verde
- Chile
- Colombia
- Congo (Democratic Republic)
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- French Guiana
- Georgia
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Indonesia
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Maldives
- Mayotte
- Mexico
- Mongolia
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Réunion
- Rwanda
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Tanzania
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Uganda
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
