After dropping down to the third tier of English football, Wednesday will need to apply for postponements for each international break if they want to move games due to international call-ups, but there are certain criteria they have to meet if they want to do so.
That criteria is as follows:
A Club must have three or more players called up across full, Under 21, Under 20 or Under 19 levels.
For a player to count for the policy, they must be either named in the starting XI or be a named substitute making an appearance prior to the 75th minute, in either 50% of their Club’s first team matches OR in four of the last five first team matches.
For players signed in late August or January, a pro rata basis will apply for fixtures that they have been eligible for their current Club. Injuries and suspensions will not be accounted for within this, while standard loan players will be taken into consideration.
A Club which has their first and second choice goalkeepers selected for international duty is able to request a postponement
Players named on international stand-by lists or long lists will not count towards the three players at the time of announcement.
With that in mind, it’s looking likely that the Owls will be requesting a postponement of their upcoming games against Stevenage and Cambridge United, however it’s been explained to The Wednesday Word that EFL Trophy matches are not subject to the international call-ups policy, so those games will remain as scheduled even if the league games are moved.
The only player named in a squad so far is young Sean Fusire, however he hasn’t featured enough so far this season to qualify - and is only in Zimbabwe’s provisional list for their African Cup of Nations qualifiers as things stand.
Elsewhere, however, there are plenty of potential departures on the cards. The likes of Yan Valery, Ali Al-Hamadi and Kieran Morrison are likely to make the cut for Tunisia, Iraq and Northern Ireland respectively, while Jordi Liongola - if fit - could be called up by Burundi, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Jamal Lowe’s form see him recalled into the Jamaica setup.
Harry Gray, Will Grainger and Gabriel Otegbayo, meanwhile, may land youth call-ups, and while Reece James is set for an England call, it probably won’t be the one playing in blue and white… Despite his excellent form.
Henrik Pedersen’s men do have games with Wigan Athletic and Stockport County on the horizon prior to any matches affected by international football, but it’s fair to suggest that Wednesdayites may have to take a break from League One football between September 21st and October 6th.
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