At least one Championship club has raised concerns over a potential conflict of interest involving Blackburn Rovers and Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill, according to reports.
It is understood West Brom’s Championship relegation rivals Oxford United are among the clubs uncomfortable with the idea that the manager of another side fighting against the drop is selecting Northern Ireland internationals for a friendly tie against Wales on Tuesday night, days before the packed Easter weekend schedule.
Conspiracy theorists have highlighted the fact several players involved in O’Neill’s international squad represent clubs who are currently Blackburn’s relegation rivals.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 19 |  BlackburnBlackburn | 39 | 11 | 10 | 18 | 36 | 49 | -13 | 43 |
| 20 |  West BromWest Brom | 39 | 11 | 10 | 18 | 40 | 54 | -14 | 43 |
| 21 |  PortsmouthPortsmouth | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 37 | 54 | -17 | 40 |
| 22 |  LeicesterLeicester | 39 | 11 | 12 | 16 | 51 | 60 | -9 | 39 |
| 23 |  Oxford UnitedOxford United | 39 | 9 | 12 | 18 | 36 | 51 | -15 | 39 |
| 24 |  Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday | 39 | 1 | 9 | 29 | 24 | 79 | -55 | -6 |
The EFL told BBC Sport they had been contacted by “one or more clubs” regarding the controversy but added international policy was governed by FIFA. They added that they would expect all decisions to be taken in a way that does not bring the game into disrepute.
Coincidentally, three players released this week will return to clubs who face three of O’Neill’s relegation rivals in Portsmouth, Leicester and Oxford on Friday.
West Brom midfielder Isaac Price has remained with the Northern Ireland squad to face Wales alongside Portsmouth defender Terry Devlin. Price will face his international manager at Ewood Park on Monday in what is undoubtedly a relegation six-pointer.
Michael O’Neill won’t be reckless with Isaac Price
O’Neill finds himself in a unique position and has stated he is “aware of the situation” ahead of the clash in Cardiff.
He said: “We’re not in charge of the schedule of the games for either the international window or the EFL. I think 80% of my squad play in the EFL.
“We’re mindful of the situation for the clubs, of course, but when the clubs signed these players, they knew they were international players and, we’re not going to be reckless with the players or anything like that there, but, we have to obviously look after ourselves as a group of players.
“The most important thing is that the players just go out and play the game. They’ll be fine. The lads who play in the EFL, they play a lot of football and they’re used to playing regular football. So they’ve got resilience and I’m sure they’ll get through the game fine.”