The Premier League is bringing back the five substitutes rule for the 2022-23 season. The news was announced on Thursday following a favorable vote by the clubs during a recent shareholder meeting.
Since 1995, soccer clubs have been allowed to make three substitutions per match. The rule was tweaked to five substitutes in 2020 due to a congested fixture schedule caused by the coronavirus pandemic. But while the majority of the top leagues continued the same practice for the 2021-22 season, the Premier League reverted to three substitutes.
This decision was met with a significant backlash from managers, who believed that more substitutions would help with player fatigue and prevent injuries. The Professional Footballers’ Association argued the same and were pleased to hear about the return of the five-substitute rule.
“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,” PFA’s chief executive Maheta Molango said in a statement.
Detailing the new rule, the Premier League said that clubs would be able to make five substitutions across three occasions during the match. This won’t include halftime. Also, the clubs can have nine players on the team sheet from now on. The previous maximum was seven.
