English Premier League votes to allow five substitutes next season

English Premier League clubs have agreed to allow five substitutions from the start of next season following Thursday’s shareholders meeting.

A temporary amendment to the rules had been implemented to increase the number of substitutions from three when football resumed in the summer of 2020.

This was in the wake of its mid-season suspension because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The changes were extended last summer by the advisory board of International Football Association Board (IFAB) for a further 18 months.

This was before a permanent decision was made in October to keep the option of using five substitutes in place.

However, in spite of clubs across Europe following IFAB’s proposal, the Premier League had decided against using the recommendations for the 2020/2021 campaign.

They instead reverted to three substitutions.

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola were both critics of not adopting the changes for the current domestic league campaign.

This was even when it was allowed in European competitions as well as for England’s domestic cup fixtures.

Previously some top-flight clubs had expressed reservations over a move to permanently increase the number of substitutes available during a league game.

This was amid concerns it could favour those with stronger squad depth.

Following further discussions on Thursday, it was decided to adopt the new regulations from the start of the 2022/2023 campaign which will be officially implemented at the annual general meeting.

The Premier League also confirmed the 2022 summer transfer window would open on June 10 and close at 11 pm (2100 GMT) on Sept. 1, which will bring it in line with other European leagues.

Also, COVID-19 protocols will move to symptomatic testing of players and staff, rather than twice weekly.