COVID-19: FIFA proposes use of five substitutions after football resumes

Leeds [UK], April 27 (ANI): FIFA has proposed that teams should temporarily be allowed to use five substitutes in order to minimise the injury threat to players due to the congestion caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
As all football leagues around the world have been put on hold due to the deadly virus, in order to complete the leagues, there will more games squeezed into a shorter amount of time. Therefore, the governing body is proposing to increase the number from three to five.
However, the proposal is subject to the approval of the game's law-making body, the International Football Association Board (IFAB).
"When competitions resume, such competitions are likely to face a congested match calendar with a higher than normal frequency of matches played in consecutive weeks. Safety of the players is one of FIFA's main priorities. One concern in this regard is that the frequency of matches may increase the risk of potential injuries due to a player overload," Goal.com quoted FIFA spokesperson as saying.
"In light of this and the unique challenge faced globally in delivering competitions according to the originally foreseen calendar, FIFA proposes a larger number of substitutions be temporarily allowed at the discretion of the relevant competition organiser. In competitions where less than five substitutions are currently allowed, each team would now be given the possibility to use up to five substitutions, with the possibility of an additional substitution remaining during extra time where relevant," the spokesperson added.
Sports has taken a massive hit by the coronavirus pandemic as all the sporting events across the globe have either been postponed or cancelled. COVID-19 has infected more than 2.9 million people worldwide so far and has claimed at least 206,000 lives, according to US-based Johns Hopkins University. (ANI)