Football to allow five substitutes during post virus build-up



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Movement occurs when soccer’s legislative body makes temporary changes “to protect” players

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Teams face probable accessory congestion on a crowded schedule as they try to make up for lost time when play can resume. PHOTO: AFP

Teams face probable accessory congestion on a crowded schedule as they try to make up for lost time when play can resume. PHOTO: AFP

CANBERRA: Football teams will be able to use five substitutes when play resumes after the coronavirus pandemic, the sport’s legislative body announced Friday.

The International Football Association (IFAB) Board said in a statement that it had accepted a proposal from the global governing body FIFA for a temporary change to the rules “to protect the well-being of players.”

Teams face probable accessory congestion on a crowded schedule as they try to make up for lost time when play can resume.

The layoff is expected to have an impact on the player’s fitness levels as well.

He also said that competitions using video assistant referee (VAR) could drop him for now.

The change will apply to competitions scheduled to be completed before December 31 of this year, although FIFA and IFAB left open the possibility of the period being extended.

While teams may make five substitutions, “to avoid interruptions in play, each team will only have three opportunities to make substitutions,” as well as at half time or before overtime.

In competitions that allow another replacement in overtime, teams will have an additional replacement opportunity.

The previous limit on field replacements for high-level competitions has been three in regulation time.

The IFAB said the change had been made “since matches can be played in a condensed period under different weather conditions, which could have an impact on the well-being of the players.”

He added that “the decision to apply this temporary amendment will be at the discretion of each individual organizer of the competition.”

He said that, together with FIFA, “it will determine at a later stage whether this temporary amendment would need to be extended further.

This means that the measure could be maintained throughout the 2020-21 season and until the next European Championship, which was postponed one year until June and July 2021 due to the pandemic.

“If the measure continues, UEFA could adopt it for the euro,” said a source.

It remains to be seen whether the move could stay in place permanently, but doing so can play into the hands of the wealthiest clubs with the largest squads and the greatest depth force.



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