The French professional footballers union (UNFP) on Thursday complained that the decision by clubs not to release non-European players for internationals was "discrimination". Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, FIFA has relaxed its rules on releasing players for the upcoming international break, allowing clubs to stop their footballers leaving for their national teams if quarantine would be mandatory on their return. Clubs in France's top two divisions announced on Wednesday that they would not release internationals who would be playing outside the European Union and the European Economic Area, with the exception of France's trip to Kazakhstan. "These decisions bear witness to a discrimination that the French state cannot continue to bear and which it must, on the contrary, get rid of as soon as possible," the UNFP said in a statement on Thursday evening. It also protested that the selective ban on players would compromise the "fairness of competitions". The statement cited "seven Lyon players" and said it "understands their distress, shares their anger...and supports their steps after they were told they would not be allowed to join their national teams". The UNFP called on the French government to "correct the situation" by granting the same exemptions as those that will benefit "players from the France team and EU countries" who are exempt from a "seven-day ban" on their return. bm/bpa/pb/mw