[ad_1]
EFL clubs have voted to allow teams five substitutions per game, starting Friday, but the Premier League will continue with three substitutes.
Following consultation with the clubs, the EFL Board agreed to increase the allowed number of substitutes to five in all Sky Bet EFL matches that will run from November 20 through the remainder of the 2020/21 season.
Championship clubs can name up to nine substitutes to their squad for the day, and five can take the field in any game. League One and League Two teams can name up to seven substitutes to their team for the matchday, and five can enter the field.
In August, Premier League clubs voted against allowing teams to make five substitutions per game in the 2020/21 season. The issue was voted on twice before the start of the season, and both times the clubs voted for three substitutes. Any club can propose a change, at any time, but requires the support of 14 clubs to pass the proposal.
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters told the parliamentary inquiry last week that he did not expect the reintroduction of five substitutes “in the foreseeable future.”
The English top flight is the only major European league that decided not to continue with the system this season, used towards the end of the last term after the coronavirus pandemic truncated the duration of the 2019/20 campaign.
0:20
Speaking in early November, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters told a meeting of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee that he does not expect the reintroduction of five alternates.
The Premier League is not expected to reintroduce the five-substitute rule this season despite strong support from at least half of its clubs, following a poll of clubs by Sky Sports News earlier this month.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola have complained that the decision to reduce to three substitutes despite difficulties caused by the pandemic is partly responsible for a series of muscle injuries in the highest category.
Klopp said earlier this month that it is a “necessity” for clubs to have five substitutes per game in the Premier League, while Guardiola called the current limit of three substitutes a “disaster”.
Southgate urges Premier League to reconsider secondary rule
Gareth Southgate has urged the Premier League to review the rules on substitutions
England manager Gareth Southgate has also asked the Premier League to review its substitution rules.
“We were able to make five changes against Belgium – we made four at the end – and the clubs don’t have that option,” Southgate said. “What does it take for that to change? There were a couple of less serious injuries against Belgium, but what do we do? Wait until we have a bunch of really nasty injuries?”
Southgate, who is also unhappy about the lack of winter break this season, said England had taken steps to try to help players recover physically but is concerned the problem will persist if something is not done soon.
“I have to be fair to the leaders of the club. They are their players in the first place and they have the right to play with them as they see fit,” he added.
“(Injuries are) a long-term concern because without winter break, something has to give.”
[ad_2]
