International Football Association Board (IFAB) announced that soccer clubs would be allowed to make up to five substitutes in the 2020/21 season as well. The decision was speculated for several weeks before being officially confirmed on Tuesday.
The rule will now apply for club competitions until July 31, 2021, while the international tournaments will allow five substitutes through August 2021.
Under the regular soccer rules, the teams can have three substitutes in one game. However, the IFAB approved an amendment to the Laws of the Game in May, increasing the number to five in order to help the teams with a packed schedule that most soccer leagues had after returning to action.
Although the rule supposed to revert by the end of 2020, IFAB decided to prolong the changes into next year. Explaining the decision, the organization noted that some teams would have a “shorter-than-usual recovery/preparation period” before the start next season. Also, the games will be played in a much more condensed period “due to a delayed start and the inability to end later than usual because of major international tournaments.”
