All clubs in the top two tiers of French football unanimously agreed not to release players for the upcoming international break if they were forced to leave Europe.

The decision was made due to the seven-day quarantine period players would be forced to undergo once they returned to France due to fears of COVID-19 transmission abroad.

"In the absence of an exemption for foreign international players made available to their national team, and in view of the response times imposed by international regulations, the clubs of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 have decided to unanimously apply the FIFA circular of February 5, 2021 taking into account the many travel restrictions in the world," the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) said in a statement on Wednesday.

"In this context, the clubs will not make available for selection the foreign players summoned for matches outside the EU / EEA zone during the next international period in March."

This means African players who ply their trade in France will miss the final two 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers set for later this month.

West African countries, especially Francophone countries, are expected to be particularly hard hit as several footballers from the region play in France.

There are widespread concerns about players being susceptible to contracting COVID-19 while representing their countries during international breaks.

During the break in November last year, a number of African players tested positive for COVID-19 and were forced to miss playing for their clubs for various periods. Some of the players were Wilfried Zaha (Côte d’Ivoire), Mohamed Salah, Mohamed Elneny (both of Egypt) and Jordan Ayew (Ghana).

(With input from agencies)