Exemption granted: Germany will be able to call Premier League players for international matches

Per a release from the German Football Association (DFB), the Duisburg Health Department announced that, in accordance with COVID-19 regulations in North Rhine-Westphalia, English Premier League players from Germany and Iceland will be granted entry into the region for international play on an exemption.

There will, however, be strict additional requirements imposed by the DFB to ensure the safety all players and team personnel. Germany will play Iceland on March 25th and North Macedonia on March 31st with both games in Duisburg.

A special permit was granted for for people coming from Great Britain to practice their profession.

What to expect?

Essentially, it sounds as if there will be a “Duisburg Bubble” created in an attempt to keep everyone safe. Some of the requirements include:

• Submission of a negative PCR test that occurred within 24 hours of leaving Great Britain.
• Daily tests according to the current test standards.
• Daily antigen rapid tests.
• A “work quarantine” for any time spent “outside of the game and training operations.”

The DFB will also regulate the processes around meals there is no contact between these players and other people.

Just two days ago, it was widely assumed that Germany’s strict regulations would exclude Premier League players like Chelsea’s Timo Werner, Antonio Rudiger and Kai Havertz, Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan, and Arsenal’s Bernd Leno.

Now, however, it looks like Joachim Löw will have all of those players at his disposal if he so chooses.