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PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS SAY ‘NO TO FIVE SUBSTITUTE PROPOSAL

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The Premier League has voted against the proposal of making five substitutes from next season and will revert to the usual three.

Clubs voted 11-9 against the proposals to stick with five substitutes for the 2020/21 season after the rule was brought in during Project Restart to help clubs get through the crowded fixture schedule.

There was also a vote – which ended 10-10 – to extend match day squads to 20 players but that will also revert to seven players on the bench for next season.

The Premier League meeting needed a majority of 14-6 to get any proposal voted through after lawmakers IFAB made the five subs rule available for all leagues next season.

It is understood the big clubs were in favour of five subs but the smaller teams against it because they feel it gave their opponents too much of an advantage as they have bigger and more strength in depth.

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The five subs was brought in post-lockdown and clubs like Manchester City and Manchester United were able to bring on superstar substitutes to win a game.

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson revealed last month that they originally voted in favour of five subs – it was brought in with a majority of 16-4 – but would vote against it this time.

It is believed all three promoted clubs – Leeds, West Brom and Fulham – voted against five subs.

According to Mirror, the clubs were also in favour of VAR for next season after a presentation from Premier League boss Richard Garlick on how FIFA will take charge of video refs next year.

That will allow referees to check touchline monitors on decisions on goals, red cards and penalty kicks which was understood to have gone down well.

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But the clubs have decided to KEEP the controversial offside lines used by broadcasters even though it often causes criticism of “armpit offsides” and the delays in how long it takes to decide.

Every European league uses the same lines but the Premier League is the only one to make them available to TV companies.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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