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Good morning, Fear the Wall. Happy monday.
International Break... Why?????
It’s the first day of the international break, which means that for the next two weeks, Borussia Dortmund fans will spend every waking moment praying that all the club’s players on international duty make it back rested and fully healthy. That is the sole goal in my view. I don’t care if any players score or not, just as long as they stay healthy.
In fact, in my perfect world, none of BVB’s players would leave at all, and would spend the two weeks of the international break recovering for the matches ahead. For a while, it looked like a few Dortmund players might have had a respite due to COVID travel restrictions that would have prevented them from joining their international teams.
The first such player is Jude Bellingham. Until this weekend, Jude Bellingham seemed to be a doubt to join the English national team due to Germany’s travel restrictions on the United Kingdom. However, the German Government is now allowing residents with certain professional obligations to travel to countries that are restricted, as long as they take multiple COVID tests and test negative. Because of this, Bellingham can now travel to join England’s squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham has been given permission to travel from Germany to join up with England's squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 21, 2021
The 17-year-old's involvement had been in doubt due to Covid-19 quarantine rules in Germany.
This is a little annoying, as it would have been nice for Bellingham to receive two weeks of rest before the final stretch of the season. Unfortunately, with FIFA and UEFA deciding to go on with international competitions despite the compressed schedule and, you know, deadly global pandemic that makes international travel especially dangerous, Bellingham will have to report.
Raphael Guerreiro to Travel to Portugal for a Medical Examination
Jude isn’t the only BVB player being forced to report for international duty. According to Ruhr Nachrichten, Raphael Guerreiro will have to travel to Portugal, despite the fact that he’s been sidelined all month with a calf injury. Apparently the Portuguese national team wants to examine him... yes, that’s right: the same Portuguese national team that bungled Guerreiro’s broken foot diagnosis back in 2017 would like to examine him again.
The Daily Buzz
Even though cases are on the rise in Europe, the vaccine program seems to be working, and we may be able to travel again within the coming months. Where would you like to travel the most?