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Teams will have the luxury of substituting five players per match when or if the current season resumes, the International Football Association Board announced Friday.
However, managers will still have only three opportunities to make those changes during a match.
Leagues will also be permitted to suspend the use of the Video Assistant Referee system. Competition organizers will decide whether the technology will continue to be implemented.
IFAB said the new rules will remain in place at least Dec. 31, 2020.
The temporary amendment will ease players’ concerns about their fitness, which has been compromised by the sudden work stoppage. The majority of players in the top five European leagues have spent the last two months training on their own because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Most European leagues shut down in March in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus, while others canceled their seasons entirely. The Bundesliga confirmed this week it’s returning May 16, and Serie A, La Liga, and the Premier League also expressed their intention to complete the 2019-20 campaign.
Major League Soccer had barely begun when play was suspended. Teams still have 32 games remaining on their schedule.
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FIFA has proposed a temporary adjustment to rules that would permit teams to use up to five substitutions to help with congested fixtures once football resumes following the coronavirus-imposed hiatus.
The recommended rule change can be put into effect by organizers for competitions scheduled until the completion of the 2021 season.
FIFA has proposed the five substitutions be made in normal time and only used in three slots in addition to halftime. The introduction of a sixth substitute in added time is still being considered. The rule change would also apply to international football until Dec. 31, 2021.
Football’s rule-making body, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), will still have to rule on FIFA’s proposal, and it will be up to the respective competitions to make the final call. BBC Sport reports the IFAB had already discussed the idea as a means of lessening the physical impact on players and is understood to be open to FIFA’s suggestion.
A FIFA spokesperson told BBC Sport that “health comes first” and no competition is “worth risking a single human life.”
“Football should only resume when the health authorities and governments say it is absolutely safe and non-disruptive of health services being delivered to the populations,” the spokesperson continued.
With many domestic leagues in Europe hoping to complete their respective campaigns by the end of the summer, compacted schedules could put the players’ health at risk.
“Safety of the players is one of FIFA’s main priorities. One concern in this regard is that the higher-than-normal frequency of matches may increase the risk of potential injuries due to a resulting player overload,” the spokesperson added.
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The Bundesliga, which was suspended in March with nine rounds remaining due to the coronavirus pandemic, received permission from the German government on Wednesday to resume its season in the second half of May.
It will become the first major soccer league to return after the coronavirus forced non-essential businesses to shutter across Europe and the world.
Matches will be played without fans and behind closed doors, and clubs must continue to follow strict hygiene protocol.
No more than 322 people will be allowed inside each stadium, according to German outlet DW, and players will be required to stay 1.5 meters from one another in the dressing room.
The earliest the Bundesliga can return is May 15, according to ESPN’s Stephan Uersfeld. A meeting will take place Thursday between German soccer officials to determine a concrete date.
Clubs have been training for nearly a month at their facilities despite the ongoing health crisis.
However, there are signs the curve is flattening in Germany. The daily number of infections has dropped below 1,000, leading Chancellor Angela Merkel to announce Wednesday that the country has “reached the goal of slowing down the spread of the virus.”
Soccer officials initially hoped to resume play May 9, only for the government to delay its decision on easing restrictions.
Players in the top two tiers of German soccer underwent a first round of testing this week, with 10 positive results emerging from a total of 1,724 samples.
FC Koln announced last week that three of their players tested positive for COVID-19. The club resumed training as normal on Monday.
Christian Seifert, the Bundesliga’s chief executive, said in March that 56,000 jobs depended on the league. On Wednesday, he estimated that around 50% of teams in the second division would’ve faced the threat of bankruptcy if the season was canceled, according to The New York Times’ Tariq Panja. He also feared a loss of €300 million in television revenue.
“Games without fans are not an ideal solution. But for some clubs, it’s the only option for surviving this crisis and keeping the league in its current form,” Seifert said in a statement.
Borussia Monchengladbach already made plans to mimic the atmosphere of regular Bundesliga matches, ordering cardboard cutouts of their fans to fill the empty seats.
Though we almost certainly won’t see wild spending in this summer’s transfer market, that doesn’t mean clubs will simply sit idly by. Europe’s top sides all have needs to address – and some are more glaring than others. Here’s a look at the areas the continent’s biggest clubs need to improve, and realistic targets each one may look to sign.
Premier League
Arsenal
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Pablo Mari has had few opportunities to earn a permanent deal at Arsenal before his loan from Flamengo expires, and 19-year-old William Saliba can’t be expected to immediately assume a starting role when he severs ties with Saint-Etienne. It would take a big fee to pry Upamecano from RB Leipzig, so Nunez might be a more realistic recruit for Mikel Arteta’s backline.
Chelsea
Chelsea have an exciting crop of wingers in Hakim Ziyech, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Christian Pulisic, but Frank Lampard wants a ruthless centerpiece in his attack. Aubameyang fits that profile, and he may be available if Arsenal boss Arteta needs to raise funds for a squad overhaul. The 21-year-old Osimhen, meanwhile, raised his profile with 13 goals during the 2019-20 Ligue 1 campaign.
Liverpool
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It’s probably a stretch to call this a “glaring” need, but Jurgen Klopp could look to add even more firepower to his side this summer. Rumors linking Liverpool with RB Leipzig hotshot Werner aren’t going away, and though Divock Origi has stepped up in big moments at Anfield, the German would be a massive upgrade and seems keen on the switch.
Manchester City
City were punished for their decision to not replace Vincent Kompany. Their options at center-back while Aymeric Laporte was sidelined were Fernandinho, Nicolas Otamendi, John Stones, and Eric Garcia. That’s not good enough for a club with Champions League aspirations. Skriniar will be pricey, but the 25-year-old would make a fine addition to Pep Guardiola’s XI.
Manchester United
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Position of need: Attacking midfield or winger
Realistic targets: Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund)
United have been linked with a host of wingers and playmakers in recent months, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanting more scoring chances for frontmen Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and Mason Greenwood. Reports of the club’s interest in Grealish seem the likeliest to precede a transfer, though United fans would rapturously receive a swoop for Manchester City product Sancho.
Tottenham Hotspur
The previously airtight partnership of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen has become Tottenham’s most glaring weakness and necessitated this season’s surprising promotion of Japhet Tanganga to the first-team fold. The tigerish Tanganga can’t compensate for Spurs’ defensive decline on his own, though, so Jose Mourinho must buy a center-back.
La Liga
Atletico Madrid
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Atletico Madrid midfielders are hot property in the transfer market, and Thomas Partey is a probable departee when business reopens. Los Colchoneros can be shrewd when searching for a replacement: Rakitic is nearing the final year of his contract in Catalonia, and there shouldn’t be too much competition to sign Espanyol’s Roca.
Barcelona
Barcelona are reportedly pursuing Juventus’ Miralem Pjanic and Tottenham flop Tanguy Ndombele, but their need for a striker is obvious. The club’s presidential elections are due next year, so expect the embattled Josep Maria Bartomeu to spend big on a return for Neymar or to sign one of the game’s best young forwards in Martinez. Antoine Griezmann, meanwhile, could be pushed out.
Real Madrid
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Position of need: Galactico
Realistic targets: Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund)
Real Madrid appear likely to snap up a Ligue 1 prospect such as Rennes’ Eduardo Camavinga or Lyon’s Rayan Cherki, but a new Galactico is expected after Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic endured disappointing debut campaigns in the Spanish capital. Pogba is a long-term target for Los Blancos, while Sancho would provide versatility on the flanks and nudge Gareth Bale closer to the exit.
Serie A
AC Milan
Position of need: Striker
Realistic targets: Luka Jovic (Real Madrid), Dries Mertens (Napoli)
AC Milan need a lot of help right now, but a long-term No. 9 stands out as the most glaring issue; Zlatan Ibrahimovic is 38 and his contract expires in June. But creativity in the market will be key for a club mired in financial difficulty. An initial loan for Jovic – with a view toward a permanent deal – might interest Real Madrid, while snapping up Mertens on a free seems like a no-brainer.
Inter Milan
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Inter Milan have given the keys to Antonio Conte to craft the squad as he desires. That means the wing-back positions are of the utmost importance, as the Italian’s tried-and-true system depends on tireless work up and down the flanks. The likes of Ashley Young, Victor Moses, and Antonio Candreva simply won’t cut it for a team with title aspirations.
Juventus
Position of need: Central midfield
Realistic targets: Sandro Tonali (Brescia), Arthur (Barcelona)
Juventus’ midfield has long been crying out for an injection of vigor, with the absence of Pogba still looming large. Though the Italian side would surely love to re-sign the Frenchman, the funds required to do so make it unlikely, especially in the current economic climate. In-demand teen Tonali could be the long-term answer in Turin, while the wildly underrated Arthur would also be a coup.
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
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Position of need: Attacking midfield
Realistic target: Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen)
There’s not much to be done to improve arguably the deepest squad in world football; Bayern Munich are loaded. One area they could look to strengthen, though, is attacking midfield. Philippe Coutinho is unlikely to be retained when his loan spell ends, and Thomas Muller, though rejuvenated under Hansi Flick, is 30 years old. Havertz, the rising German star, is a natural fit.
Borussia Dortmund
Achraf Hakimi is almost certain to return to Real Madrid when his loan spell at Borussia Dortmund ends this summer, leaving a glaring hole at right-back for Lucien Favre. Rumors of an agreement with impending free agent Meunier persist, while Hateboer could potentially be a shrewd signing after enjoying a breakout campaign with Atalanta this season.
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain
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Right-back or left-back, take your pick. Paris Saint-Germain are destined to lose both Meunier and Layvin Kurzawa to free transfers this summer. With club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi anticipating “colossal” financial losses due to the ongoing pandemic, an unusually understated move for the likes of De Sciglio or Telles might be the French champions’ only feasible option.
