Football lawmakers at the IFAB Annual Business Meeting on Wednesday morning are expected to approve the use of concussion substitutes from next month.
International Football Association Board (IFAB) will consider whether to extend the use of five substitutes beyond August 2021 during the business meeting.
At the moment, the Premier League has chosen to use only three substitutes this season, after taking into account votes from the 20 clubs in the division at the start of the season.
However, no law in football prevents the EPL from changing its mind, and there is a Premier League club meeting scheduled for Thursday.
Concussion substitutes is a big issue that needs to be addressed as it brings a fundamental change to the game and ffers some form of protection .
It is an emotive issue and a green light for trials will inevitably turn attention onto every competition in world football.
In October, IFAB’s Concussion Expert Group said it: “… emphasised that the protection of players is the main goal and that a clear and uniform approach is needed, which can operate effectively at all levels of the game”.
The group agreed that “… applying an ‘if in doubt, take them out’ philosophy would be the best solution to safeguard the health of football players.”
IFAB is expected to formally approve trials from January 2021 and the rule will allow teams to replace a player with a head injury even if they have made all their substitutions.
Furthermore, to avoid misuse, the opposing team will also be allowed to make a change at the same time.
IFAB is comprised of the four British associations and FIFA and this year’s business meeting will be chaired by Jonathan Ford, the Football Association of Wales’ chief executive.
Prominent officials on the conference call will include David Ellerary, IFAB technical director, Pierluigi Collina, FIFA chairman of referees’ committee, and Arsene Wenger, FIFA’s chief of global football development.
Eventually
Eventually, everyone will start using 5 subs