FIFA proposes up to five substitutions per match on a temporary basis
BERN (Reuters) – FIFA has proposed that teams should be allowed to make up to five substitutions per match, instead of the usual three, as a temporary measure to help cope with potential fixture congestion in the aftermath of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Soccer has been at a standstill since midMarch but many leagues and federations are still hoping to complete the season but to do so they would have to cram fixtures into a shorter period than usual once play re-starts.
The proposal for more substitutes would have to be approved by soccer’s rule-making organization IFAB and the final decision would rest with competition organizers, the sport’s global governing body said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
“One concern in this regard is that the higher-than-normal frequency of matches may increase the risk of potential injuries due to a resulting player overload,” FIFA added.
“Each team would now be given the possibility to use up to five substitutions during the match, with the possibility of an additional substitution remaining during extra time, where relevant,” it explained.
FIFA added that the substitutions would have to be made in a maximum of three slots plus the halftime interval.
The measure would apply to this season and next season plus all international matches until December 31 next year.
FIFA said that “football should only resume when the health authorities and governments say it is absolutely safe and non-disruptive of health services being delivered to the populations.”
Arsenal’s players return to training ground for individual sessions
In related news, Arsenal reopened its London Colney training ground to first team players for individual training on Monday as the Premier League club continued to observe social distancing protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
France striker Alexandre Lacazette, Brazil defender David Luiz and Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka were seen arriving at the facility, which is situated 20 miles north of London.
The Arsenal players trained separately while keeping their distance from each other on the pitch.
Soccer in England has been suspended indefinitely and no clubs have been in training since Arsenal’s Spanish manager Mikel Arteta was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus on March 12. No matches have been played since.
The Premier League is suspended until at least April 30 while lockdown measures are in place in the United Kingdom until May 7, when the government is set to review the current restrictions in place.
Clubs expect to return to full training next month while Sky Sports said the league is looking at a potential restart in June with an eye on finishing the remaining nine rounds of fixtures in July, albeit without spectators in attendance.
All 20 teams will discuss the matter in a conference call on Friday.
Meanwhile, Everton said on Monday that it is “appalled” after images emerged in the media showing 20-year-old Italian striker Moise Kean flouting government lockdown rules by hosting a house party.