While the club has simply stated that those left-behind were either not fit or ‘did not meet the entry requirements when travel arrangements were made’, it is rumoured that many of the absentees are not going because they are unvaccinated against COVID-19.
Among the players not named in the squad on Monday, were defender Marc Guehi, midfielders Eberechi Eze, Will Hughes, Jeffrey Schlupp and James McArthur, and forwards Michael Olise, Wilfried Zaha and Christian Benteke.
Summer signings Sam Johnstone and Cheick Doucoure have also not been included meaning that only 10 senior players will be available to Patrick Vieira.
Palace are set to play Liverpool, Manchester United and Leeds on their tour, having already kicked-off their pre-season with a 1-1 draw against Accrington Stanley and a 5-4 win over Millwall earlier in July.
With so many key players missing, additional friendlies have been scheduled to give the absentees missing some minutes, with games set be played against QPR, Ipswich and a yet to be determined opponent.
The entire squad will be together again for the last pre-season fixture against Montpellier, which will be held one week before the Eagles raise the curtain on the new Premier League season with a clash against Arsenal at Selhurst Park.
If the lack of vaccinations is the reason for the mass absentees, then Palace have become the second club to have been affected by the matter.
Chelsea announced on Saturday that midfield duo N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek would miss the Blues’ tour of the United States because of their ‘Covid vaccination status.’
Australia and the USA have strict laws on allowing unvaccinated foreign travellers into the country and it is an issue that extends beyond football.
Earlier this year, Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic was infamously deported from Australia and prevented from playing in the Open there because he is unvaccinated and is also currently unable to play at August’s US Open for the same reasons.
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