Geneva: Soccer is facing a congested programme of games caused by the coronavirus pandemic. So FIFA wants to let teams use five substitutes.
Plan for 5 substitutes
FIFA detailed a temporary plan Monday to help prevent more injuries due to ‘potential player overload’. The proposal gives competition organisers the option of letting teams use five substitutes instead of three in 90. Also in knockout games team can use six substitutes if the match goes into extra time.
“One concern in this regard is that the higher-than-normal frequency of matches. It may increase the risk of potential injuries due to a resulting player overload,” FIFA said in a statement.
Excessive workload for footballers
Clubs such as Manchester City face an intense schedule in three competitions if games can safely restart in the coming weeks.
City could have 19 more games. Of these 10 would be in the Premier League. In the Champions League it could be six games if they reach the final and up to three in the FA Cup. These 19 games will have to played in 10 weeks.
Juventus could need 20 more: 12 in Serie A, up to six in the Champions League, and two Coppa Italia games.
The proposal must be signed off by soccer’s rule-making panel, known as IFAB. Teams would still be limited to three stoppages of play to make the changes.
IFAB approval should be a formality on a panel which includes officials from FIFA and the four British national federations.
FIFA suggested retaining the five-substitute rule next season, which looks likely to start later and be condensed into less time. It would also apply to all national-team games through December 2021.
World Cup qualifying programs are already behind schedule in Asia and South America, and are on track to face problems in Europe next year.
UEFA has postponed the 2020 European Championship by one year. The tournament is now set to take fixture dates in June from the 2022 World Cup qualifying groups.
Health first policy
The proposal for substitutes was announced in anticipation of soccer resuming though it is unclear when that will happen. Games will be played in stadiums without fans for at least several weeks and likely longer.
“FIFA’s main principle is that health comes first and that no match or competition is worth risking a single human life,” soccer’s world body said.
AP