Football lawmakers are studying a "temporary" change in the rules of the game, allowing teams to make five game replacements instead of three, with resumption of activity currently suspended due to the emerging Corona virus.
FIFA, in late April, made a proposal to increase the number of substitutions during the matches, and to raise it from three (during the normal time) to five, to help players cope with the intense pressure of the matches that they are expected to play in the coming period, to compensate for the stop that is approaching Complete two months.
This proposal was officially endorsed by the International Football Association (IFAP) Council, which is concerned with the laws of the game, during its meeting today. The "Covid-19" epidemic has suspended most football competitions around the world since mid-March. While most national championships are still awaiting health status developments to determine possible dates for the resumption of matches, other tournaments, most notably Germany, have begun preparing for a return soon in the second half of May.
Last month, IFAP announced that it was working with FIFA to (adopt) a temporary amendment to Law 3 (for players), allowing competitions to give teams the option to use a maximum of five substitutes on three occasions during the match, and between the two periods.
Reducing the number of occasions where teams can make changes removes the incentive to do so only for the purpose of wasting time. A sixth substitution may also be permitted in matches that extend into overtime.
Teams can currently make three substitutions during the match, knowing that they have been allowed since 2018, to make a fourth change, but only in overtime.
A source close to the file said that the national championships will not be obligated to implement this change (that is, increase the number of substitutions), and they are free to do it once they resume. Germany will become the first country among the five major European leagues to resume the game, after the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel and the 16th district officials of the domestic league authorized this to be done without an audience. The Bundesliga League, which supervises the first and second degrees, set the date for return on May 15.
IFAP aims to "protect the health of players" when matches resume, with a schedule expected to be more intense than usual to compensate for the pauses and the end of the season at the earliest opportunity, which could lead to an "increased risk of injuries."
While the measure is intended to be temporary, it can be maintained during the next season (2020-2021), up to the European Cup, which will be held in the summer of 2021, after its original date was postponed this summer due to the pandemic of "Covid-19".