Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Union of European Football Association (UEFA) has confirmed that clubs in Europe will be allowed to make five substitutions per game for the 2020/2021 season.
This was made official by UEFA President, Mr Aleksander Ceferin, on Thursday in Budapest, Hungary.
That rule will be in place for all Champions League and Europa League matches, as well as next summer’s European Championships.
Mr Ceferin added that the finals of the 2020-21 Nations League would be played in October next year.
So far, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland had declared their interest in hosting the knockout stages of the tournament.
This decision leaves the English Premier League as the only major competition in Europe where teams can make just three substitutions per game.
Unlike England’s top flight, the Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A, Germany Bundesliga and French Ligue 1 have voted in favour of keeping the five substitutions rule in place for 2020/21.
In August, premier league clubs voted against allowing teams to make five substitutions per game in the 2020/21 season.
Top-flight teams will, therefore, return to being permitted three substitutes each per game, while the number of players allowed on the bench will return to seven, in line with pre-coronavirus regulations.
Last season, as the clubs prepared for Project Restart amid coronavirus lockdown restrictions, they voted to allow five substitutions and increase the matchday squad from 18 to 20 to help players deal with a condensed schedule.
Business Post reported that the International Football Association Board (IFAB) gave leagues the opportunity to extend those conditions for another season.
