Clubs pitch plan for five substitutes

PREMIER League clubs are pushing to be able to use as many as five substitutes if they are forced to cram their remaining matches into a short period of time.

Football in the UK is currently suspended until April 30 but it is widely expected that an extension to the restrictions will be announced imminently, with warnings that fans may have to wait until the summer for live football to resume.

Joint discussions between the Premier League, EFL, PFA and LMA are ongoing this week, as they discuss a number of highprofile situations including the potential deferral of player wages and how football can return.

The Mirror states that due to concerns of squeezing in the remaining matches over a short period, potentially just a month, the clubs are seeking to be allowed to make as many as five substitutions per match - two more than usually allowed.

On top of this, VAR could be put on hold - although the longterm plan is to stick with the technology that has proven to be controversial.

The VAR team is at least three people, including one referee, for each match all in a small room at Stockley Park, which could raise concerns over social distancing, although the social distancing measures would likely to have to be lifted before football can resume.

However, questions would be raised about the integrity of the league if significant changes like this were to be introduced for a section of the season, rather than being in place for the entire campaign.