Football's world governing body FIFA recently extended a Covid-19 exemption that allows clubs not to release their players for international duty if doing so would result in the players having to quarantine for a period of five or more days on their return.
South Africa, as with other countries such as Portugal and Brazil, are currently on the United Kingdom's so-called Red List which requires persons arriving in the UK from nations on the list to undergo a mandatory 10-day quarantine period.
According to The Athletic, Premier League cubs have privately raised the issue of using the FIFA exemption to prevent players in this category from leaving for international duty, and are hoping that the Football Association will support any collective decision to this effect.
Should this be supported, it is possible that Brighton Hove Albion could prevent Tau from joining up with his Bafana Bafana teammates in order to avoid a situation where the 26-year-old is forced into quarantine upon his return to England.
These concerns have also been raised in public by two of the league's most prominent voices, with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer both revealing their opposition to the upcoming international break.