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Leeds owner Radrizzani praises Raphinha for rejecting call-up
Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani has praised the actions of attacker Raphinha.
Raphinha was called up by his country. However, the winger did not travel to join up with the squad due to the current COVID-19 protocols.
Brazil is on the UK’s red-list, after all.
It means any player who travels there will need to quarantine upon their return.
Premier League clubs announced before the current international break about their intentions to stop players from travelling to red-list countries.
Nine Premier League players were called up by Brazil, but none of them travelled.
Radrizzani has said the attacker made the decision to not accept the call-up on his own.
When talking about Raphinha, Radrizzani said (via the ): “We invited him to make a decision and he decided no. He showed great respect for his club and the Premier League in giving up this opportunity to play for his country for the first time.”
There needs to be questions asked about quartet after Raphina decision
Getting your first call-up to your country’s senior side is the dream of any footballer.
In that regard, what Raphinha did by rejecting Brazil for Leeds is commendable.
But it also means questions need to be asked about the Argentine quartet who travelled.
Why would you put yourself through all that trouble?
It is not like any of Emi Martinez, Emi Buendia, Cristian Romero or Giovani Lo Celso were making their debut.
All four are established internationals and have sealed their spots in the squad.
To put your club through all that trouble just to play for your country seems a bit much.
Raphinha should be praised for his decision to prioritise Leeds, and it seems Radrizzani agrees.