Premier
League clubs have voted against using five substitutes in the 2020/21 season
at a shareholders meeting.
It was initially agreed in August the five subs rule - introduced after
Premier League football resumed last season - would be scrapped and they
would revert to a maximum of three changes during games.
A proposal was put forward to again increase the number of substitutions to
five, with a total of nine players on the bench but the motion did not get
the required 14 votes, so next season remains at three replacements from
seven named on a matchday.
Last season, as the clubs prepared for Project Restart amid coronavirus
lockdown restrictions, it was agreed to allow five substitutions and to
increase the matchday squad from 18 to 20 to help players deal with so many
games in such a short period of time.
The meeting also agreed the preferred option is to play the season out to a
conclusion if there was to be a second wave, but despite what have been
described as "positive conversations," nothing has yet been officially added
to the rule book.
There has to be a threshold of how many games it would take for a season to
be considered a season, at which point a points-per-game scenario is one of
options on table. This discussion is ongoing and will be revisited at a
later date.
The consultation regarding anti-racism measures is ongoing, with dialogue
continuing with the captains' group, as well as the Black Player Advisory
Group, which was set up last year.
Drinks breaks will no longer feature midway through the first and second
halves of matches.
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