Wales quintet Ryan Giggs, Robbie Savage, Mark Pembridge, Andy Melville and John Hartson will all be available for club matches on Sunday 17 November.

That is just four days before Wales' European Championship qualifying match in Azerbaijan on 20 November.

On Monday night, world football's governing body said Wales manager Mark Hughes was within his rights to call up his squad on the Saturday evening.

That would have stopped Giggs playing for Manchester United at West Ham, Mark Pembridge for Everton at Blackburn, and Savage and Melville in the Birmingham v Fulham match.

In addition, Hartson would also have been ruled out of Celtics' Scottish Premier League clash with Glasgow rivals Partick.

However, on Tuesday a Fifa spokesman said an amendment had been incorporated into existing statutes.

He stated that on match days designated as "non-competitive" dates, players could only be called to duty 48 hours in advance.

Because this month's international date had been designated for friendlies, Wales cannot now invoke the four-day rule.

Fifa's change to the call-up rules now states: "In certain circumstances it may be necessary to play a qualifying match for an international competition on a date initially set for friendly matches.

"In this event, if a player is called up, he must be released to the national association... the period of relase, however, shall only be 48 hours."

So, despite Wales' trip to Baku being for a qualifying tie, the fact it is a date designated for friendly matches means Hughes will not be able to call on his players until 18 November - the day his team are supposed to embark on their lengthy journey.

Wales were originally meant to play their match in Baku last June, but the fixture was changed to November because of concerns over high summer temperatures in Azerbaijan.

Hughes had thought he was within his rights to take a hard-line stance because the game is competitive.

Old Trafford boss Sir Alex Ferguson had already expressed his frustration at the move, insisting "it wouldn't help Wales" in the long term.

Birmingham owner David Sullivan took a harder line, even threatening legal action to allow Savage to play for the Blues.

The decision is sure to go down badly with Hughes, who has transformed Wales' fortunes in recent times.

They secured victories in Finland and against Italy at the Millennium Stadium last month, raising hopes of qualification for a major tournament for the first time since the 1958 World Cup.

Full Wales squad:

Goalkeepers: Paul Jones (Southampton), Mark Crossley (Middlesbrough), Darren Ward (Nottm Forest).
Defenders: Danny Coyne (Grimsby), Andy Melville (Fulham), Robert Page (Sheff Utd), Mark Delaney (Aston Villa), Darren Barnard (Grimsby), Danny Gabbidon, Rhys Weston (both Cardiff).
Midfielders: Gary Speed (Newcastle), Mark Pembridge (Everton), Robbie Savage (Birmingham), Simon Davies (Tottenham), Carl Robinson (Portsmouth), Andy Johnson (West Brom), Paul Trollope (Northampton), Jason Koumas (West Brom), Paul Evans (Bradford), Ryan Giggs (Man Utd).
Strikers: John Hartson (Celtic), Nathan Blake (Wolves), Craig Bellamy (Newcastle), Gareth Taylor (Burnley), Robert Earnshaw (Cardiff).