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Premier League clubs to reintroduce five substitutes rule from next season

Football

By Reuters | Apr 01, 2022

**March 16, 2022 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah comes on as a substitute to replace Diogo Jota Action Images** via Reuters

Premier League clubs have voted in favour of reintroducing the use of five substitutes per game from the start of the 2022-23 season, the organisation said on Thursday.

The substitutions can be made on three occasions during a game, not including halftime, and clubs can name nine substitutes in total on their team sheet, the league said in a statement.

Top flight clubs were allowed to increase the number of substitutes from three to five per match in the 2019-20 campaign when the league restarted in June after a three-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Soccer's law-making body IFAB had recommended making the rule permanent, but the Premier League was the only top league in Europe to decide against continuing five substitutes from 2020-21 even as a number of managers voiced concerns about player fatigue.

The Professional Footballers' Association backed the league's latest decision, with chief executive Maheta Molango saying the increasing workload on players is damaging their health and wellbeing.

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"The adoption of this rule is a welcome step forward in what needs to be an ongoing effort to address issues with player fatigue, making sure they have the opportunity to perform at their best," Molango said in a statement.

The Premier League added it would stop twice-weekly COVID-19 testing of players and staff from Monday, with only symptomatic individuals to be tested.

"The wellbeing of players and staff remains a priority and the Premier League will continue to monitor the national COVID-19 situation and adapt League-wide protocols as required, in line with the latest guidance from public health authorities and medical experts," the statement said.

The Premier League also said the summer transfer window will open on June 10 and close on Sept. 1.