Somewhere in the slipstream of wider debates about the future of football, a conversation over the use of five substitutes in the Premier League has rumbled on for some time. English football has concerned itself with far-reaching issues involving the possibility of an independent regulator and more robust ownership rules in light of Chelsea’s sale and Newcastle United’s takeover, all underpinned by a desire to preserve the integrity and competitiveness of the game.
The use of five substitutions in this context may feel like a small matter. Initially recommended by FIFA and adopted by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in June 2020 as a temporary measure to help ease concerns coming out of the coronavirus pandemic, Europe’s top leagues decided to keep the use of five substitutes — except the Premier League stood apart, voting against the measure in 2020-21 and 2021-22 before finally relenting for next season.
By bringing the Premier League in line with other divisions, this alteration is the biggest threat yet to its status as the most compelling division in world football.
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Anyone seeking an example of how this landmark rule change will exacerbate the divide between the elite and the rest should look no further than Norwich City vs. Manchester United in an FA Cup sixth-round tie on 27 June, 2020. Football had only restarted in England 10 days earlier after an enforced hiatus due to Covid-19.
At the time, the temporary introduction of five substitutes was a welcome amendment to appease widespread uncertainty about the effects and spread of the virus, then still in its relative infancy. Yet in pure sporting terms, it was an ominous warning for what now lies…
Source : espn
