IFAB To Permanent 5 Substitute Rule In Football Match

Substitution illustration (Instagram@chelseafcvietnam)

JAKARTA - The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is ready to make the five-player substitution rule permanent in every top international soccer match.

This was raised at the IFAB meeting in Doha, Qatar, on Monday, June 13. The meeting also discussed plans to implement several other regulations.

The substitution of five players was previously used in official football matches during the COVID-19 pandemic. It replaces the old rule that allowed only three substitutions per game.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the plan to make the five-player substitution rule permanent follows the strong support of the entire football community. Later each team can also enter 15 names of substitute players instead of 12 more.

In addition, at the meeting, plans to use automatic offside technology are also likely to be introduced this year. The most open possibility is the 2022 Qatar World Cup later this year.

"We are very satisfied so far and our experts are studying it before deciding whether offside technology will be introduced for the World Cup," Infantino said.

FIFA chief referee Pierluigi Collina said he was confident that the offside technology would eventually be introduced for the 32-nation tournament.

This system works by monitoring 29 data points on the player's limbs to create a three-dimensional framework model that is reviewed on the sidelines by the referee.

The technology was tested at last year's FIFA Arab Cup in Doha and the Club World Cup in February. This tool is officially known as “semi-automatic” because it is still the referee who makes the final decision.

IFAB said the use of offside technology was an attempt to counter the increasing number of attacks on match officials.

"The lack of respect for referees and their safety has been identified as a global problem," an IFAB statement said.