PARIS, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The International Football Association Board (IFAB), which governs the laws of the game, has confirmed a proposal by FIFA to allow a maximum of five substitutes per match instead of the usual three.
"For competitions which have either started or are intended to start, but are scheduled to be completed by 31 December 2020, the IFAB has approved FIFA's proposal to introduce a temporary amendment to Law 3 -- The Players, which will allow for a maximum of five substitutes to be made per team," read an IFAB statement.
"However, to avoid disruption to the game, each team will only have three opportunities to make substitutions; substitutions may also be made at half-time."
IFAB said that this temporary amendment would come into force immediately, but that individual competitions would have to decide whether to apply it. The organization added that the rule could be extended into next season, but that this would be determined at a later date.
The Spanish Football Federation has officially announced it will propose the possibility of allowing teams to make five replacements if football returns in the country.
The proposal is aimed at protect players' fitness when competitions resume, after football across the world was brought to a standstill in mid-March as the global COVID-19 pandemic worsened.
Several countries, including France and the Netherlands, have abandoned their 2019-20 domestic league seasons in response to lockdown measures banning mass gatherings.
By contrast, Germany's Bundesliga season is set to restart on the weekend of May 16, though other major competitions such as the English Premier League, Italy's Serie A and La Liga in Spain have yet to confirm whether they will follow suit. Enditem
