Teams allowed five subs in one match

FOOTBALL’S lawmakers have approved a temporary rule change that will allow each side up to five substitutes per match.

Proposals to allow an additional two substitutes were put forward by FIFA in order to protect player welfare when football resumes amid the coronavirus pandemic and the International Football Association Board (IFAB) has given the idea an immediate green light.

Each side will have only three opportunities, plus half-time, to make changes in an amendment which will be allowed in all competitions that finish before the end of 2020.

All major European leagues have been suspended for several weeks but a number are still hoping to complete the 2019-20 season, which will almost certainly involve fixtures being crammed into a slim time-frame.

And there could be a suspension of the use of the video assistant referee.

VAR was introduced in the Premier League at the start of this season but has been widely criticised amid a plethora of controversial decisions.

FIFA says the system could be discontinued upon football’s restart but that decision would rest with each competition’s governing bodies.

The statement concluded: “In relation to competitions in which the video assistant referee (VAR) system is implemented, these competitions are permitted to cease its use upon restart at the discretion of each individual competition organiser.

“However, where VAR is used, all aspects of the laws of the game and, by extension, the VAR protocol will remain in place.”