Five substitutes will be allowed during normal time for games to be played when the Barclays Premier League restarts on the June 17th of June, the decision was confirmed at the latest league meeting of stake holders. The 20 member clubs met on Thursday to discuss a range of measures building towards the planned return to action later this month.
Increasing from three to five the amount of players allowed to be substituted will only apply for the remaining games of the 2019-20 season and was agreed in principle last week, it is in line with the temporary law amendment made by the International Football Association Board last month. Shareholders also approved for clubs to increase the maximum number of substitute players on the bench from seven to nine for the rest of the 2019/20 season, bearing in mind most teams will have to play nine games in five weeks it is a wise amendment to the rules as injuries will obviously be rampant.
FIFA proposed the substitutions rule change as it is anticipated players across Europe will to be asked to play matches in a condensed period of time during the coming months, teams will be limited to three opportunities during matches to make their substitutions as well as half time in order to prevent unnecessary stoppages. Hmmm good luck with implementing that one, what happens if a player is injured, do they have to use up one of their 'slots' in order to check a player's well being or do they just have to 'sub ' him off'? Also having a bench that comprises of nine players is a luxury some teams aren't usually able to accommodate, they just won't have enough fit first team players.
On Thursday, the formula for the season's possible curtailment was discussed as has been done in previous meetings, however there is so much momentum behind the restart of the season on the 17th of June there are no plans to vote or come to an agreement over an actual method as yet. The processes and planning are in place as part of the government's Step 4 return to play protocols, however there have been no votes regarding neutral venues but there is an agreement in principle that they can be used if required, although only if circumstances dictate where a match cannot be safely held at a home venue, then the contingency is in place to move such matches to a neutral venue.
Again there is some confusion as to who would 'adjudicate' such decisions, and when we spoke to the police overseers about this we were told " it's about contingency and flexibility, we have plans in place that can be enacted relatively quickly." Seeing so many players on the bench will make match day look like an 'American Football Experience', but without the 'Killer Cops'! There will be more subs than an English Navy yard, especially after the massive budget cuts to the military that will follow as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. - Ed
