Premier League clubs reject five substitute ruling

2:23pm on Thursday 6th August 2020
By Martin Macdonald

Premier League clubs have rejected the proposal to continue with the five substitute rule change which came into after lockdown.

When the league recommenced amid the worldwide pandemic, teams around Europe were given the opportunity to utilise a 20-man squad on matchdays as well as to use five substitutions instead of three in order to help protect the players.

With games set to be played behind closed doors for at least the start of the new season in England, the proposal was offered to teams in the top-flight to continue with that ruling should they wish.

However, they have voted in the majority to knock back that idea, with the three changes rule being brought back as of the start of the new campaign.

Fourteen out of the 20 teams in the league were required to vote for the five substitutions to remain, and that number was not reached.

A criticism of the increased allocated changes has been the perceived benefits that more elite teams received, as they were able to utilise their larger squads than smaller outfits.

The ‘top six’ in the league were reportedly against the idea of going back to three changes, according to the Independent.

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