The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has approved FIFA’s proposal to make a provisional amendment to ‘Law 3 — The players’, to allow for a maximum of five changes per team.
This was confirmed by world football governing body FIFA in a statement released on their official website on Friday.
Each team will have three opportunities to make the five substitutions, which can also be made during half-time.
Also Read: Pinnick Confirms Ejaria Has Committed International Future To Nigeria
This transitional amendment takes immediate effect, as a large number of matches will be played in a short period of time and under different weather conditions than expected, which could have a negative impact on the health of footballers.
The statement from FIFA reads: “As football begins to consider resumption of competitions across the world following the COVID-19 pandemic, The International Football Association Board (The IFAB) has agreed to make a temporary amendment to the Laws of the Game based on a proposal received from FIFA seeking to protect player welfare.
“For competitions which have either started or are intended to start, but are scheduled to be completed by 31 December 2020, the IFAB has approved FIFA’s proposal to introduce a temporary amendment to Law 3 – The Players, which will allow for a maximum of five substitutes to be made per team.
” However, to avoid disruption to the game, each team will only have three opportunities to make substitutions; substitutions may also be made at half-time.
“The temporary amendment comes into force with immediate effect, and has been made as matches may be played in a condensed period in different weather conditions, both of which could have impacts on player welfare.
“The decision on whether to apply this temporary amendment will remain at the discretion of each individual competition organiser, while The IFAB and FIFA will determine at a later stage whether this temporary amendment would need to be extended further (e.g. for competitions due to be completed in 2021).
“The amendment to Law 3 affects both the 2019/20 and 2020/21 Laws of the Game, with the latter coming into effect as from 1 June 2020.
“In relation to competitions in which the video assistant referee (VAR) system is implemented, these competitions are permitted to cease its use upon restart at the discretion of each individual competition organiser. However, where VAR is used, all aspects of the Laws of the Game and, by extension, the VAR protocol will remain in place.”
Founded in 1886, IFAB is the body that determines the laws of the game of association football.
It was formed to agree standardised laws for international competition, and has since acted as the “guardian” of the internationally used laws.
Since its establishment in 1904, FIFA has recognised IFAB’s jurisdiction over the laws.
