Clubs in the English Football League have voted in favour of five substitutions, but the Premier League will persist with three. The change will take place on Friday, ahead of this weekends round of fixtures.
EFL Allow Five Substitutions
Statement From the EFL
On Wednesday, the EFL released the following statement:
Following consultation with Clubs, the EFL Board has agreed to increase the permitted number of substitutes to five in all Sky Bet EFL fixtures taking place from 12 noon on Friday 20 November for the remainder of the 2020/21 season.
Regulation 33.4 has been amended to permit:
Championship Clubs to name up to nine substitutes in their matchday squad, with five permitted to take to the pitch in any fixture.
League One and League Two Clubs to name up to seven substitutes in their matchday squad, again with five permitted to take to the pitch.
Five Substitutions in English Football League
As per the statement, all Championship clubs now can name nine substitutes for a game and are allowed to use up to five substitutes in a match.
Clubs in Leagues One and Two are also allowed to make five changes but are only permitted to have seven substitutes on the bench.
Premier League to Follow Suit?
Back in August, clubs representatives from the Premier League decided not to vote in favour for the addition of an extra two substitutes. The decision was made twice before the start of the season with the majority of votes sticking with three substitutions
Richard Masters, the Premier League CEO, told parliamentary inquiry last week he did not expect re-introduction of five subs “for foreseeable future.” However, any club can challenge change at any time but it must get the vote of 14 clubs to pass.
Following the coronavirus pandemic, the Premier League remains the only top-flight major European league that has opted not to change the number of substitutes allowed in a game.
But recent calls from Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, as a result of the number of injured players, could result in yet another vote for the division.
International Input
England manager Gareth Southgate has also suggested that Premier League clubs should re-evaluate the change.
At international level, the Three Lions boss can make up to five substitutes per game and believes it should follow suit in the domestic top-flight.
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