Five subs to be allowed in Europe from group stage

Five substitutes will be allowed in the Champions League and Europa League from the group phase, Uefa announced yesterday.

The executive committee of European football’s governing body approved the regulation change for this season, which will apply tooth erUe fa comp e titions such as the Nations League.

A proposal from Fifa to increase the number of substitutes to help clubs manage the workload created by the corona virus pandemic was made to the game’s law-making body the International Football Association Board earlier this year.

I FA B approved it, and after initially applying it to the 2019-20 season, the temporary dispensation was extended into 2020-21.

World players’ union FIFPRO welcomed Uefa’s decision yesterday.

“This is the right decision and a good first step to ease pressure on elite-level players,” its general secretary Jonas Baer-hoffmann said. “We will continue to push for further innovative ways to reduce their mounting workload and protect their health and performance.”

Uefa’ s Ex Co was meeting in Budapest, where the Super Cup between Bayern Munich and S evilla was being staged last night with a limited number of fans in attendance.

Uefap resident AleksanderCef erin def ended the decision to allow spectators in, saying: “The measures are strict and there is not a question of health risks for the fans. We will of course not be dragged into any political discussion about that. The easiest thing for us would be not to do anything. If you don’t do anything, you don’t make any mistakes but of course nothing moves.”

Uefa also decided to make next year’ s March and September inter national breaks triple -headers, with Fifa having already granted an extension to the international windows of October and November this year to fit in an additional match per country.