Premier League clubs agree to 5 substitutions rule change
LONDON: Managers will be able to make up to five substitutions for the remainder of the 2019/20 Premier League season after clubs agreed to the temporary rule change at a meeting on Thursday.
FIFA proposed the solution last month to “protect player welfare” with a large number of matches packed into a few weeks to clear the backlog of a three-monthlayoffduetothecoronaviruspandemic.
Premier League clubs also agreed to increase the number of substitutes available for selection from seven to nine for the remainder of the season.
“For the remainder of the 2019/20 season, the number of substitutes that can be used during a match will increase from three to five players,” the Premier League said in a statement.
“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.” To avoid too many stoppages, each team will still only have three opportunities to make changes as well as at half-time.
The Premier League will resume with two matches on June 17 as Manchester City host Arsenal and Sheffield United travel to Aston Villa.
The remaining nine full rounds of fixtures are then expected to be completed in just five weeks.
Meanwhile, Tottenham have received a £175 million ($220 million) loan from the Bank of England to help them through the coronavirus crisis as the club predicted losses of £200 million over the next year.
Spurs’ finances will be damaged by the loss of matchday and hospitality income, cancellation of non-football events such as NFL matches and concerts and rebates owed to television broadcasters.
“Due to the significance of income from matchday, conferencing and third-party live events such as concerts and other sports, our estimated revenue loss, including broadcast rebates, may exceed £200 million for the period to June, 2021,” Tottenham said in a statement.
The Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF), provided by the Bank of England is available to companies with a strong investment grade rating and who “make a material contribution” to the British economy.
The Premier League is due to return on June 17, but all remaining 92 games this season will be played behind closed doors.
English top-flight clubs are reportedly facing a rebate bill of £330 million to broadcasters as matches could not be completed on schedule and will now be played behind closed doors.
Manchester United predicted last month they would have to repay £20 million worth of broadcasting revenue from Premier League rights.
“It is imperative that we now all work together -- scientists, technologists, the government and the live events sector -- to find a safe way to bring spectatorsbacktosportandentertainmentvenues,” said Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.
“Collectively we have the ability to support the development of new technologies to make this possible and to once again experience the passion of fans at live events.” Tottenham performed a Uturn in April by scrapping plans to use government money to pay their non-playing staff.
The original decision to use the furlough scheme had led to widespread criticism, including from senior political figures and the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust.