FA boss urges Premier League clubs to rethink five-sub rule with teams set to reject plans for THIRD time
FA CHIEF Mark Bullingham has urged Prem clubs to stage a rethink on Thursday – and bring back the five substitute rule.
Prem clubs are expected to reject the Big Six-backed proposal for a THIRD time at their final ‘shareholders’ meeting of the year.
That is despite a strong plea from PFA boss Gordon Taylor, who argued it was ‘paramount in the interests of player welfare and health and safety’.
But after football’s law-making body Ifab agreed to extend the ‘temporary’ use of five substitutes through to the end of 2021 for club sides and July 2022 for international football, Wembley chief executive Bullingham put pressure on the Prem.
The Professional Game Board, including three Prem clubs and interim League chairman Peter McCormick, unanimously backed allowing five subs in the FA Cup next month and Bullingham said: “I am surprised the Premier League has not brought it in.
“It’s been signed off by Ifab and we expected all the leading leagues to sign it off because of the congested season and lack of a proper pre-season.”
Bullingham added: “The reason we want it in the competition is player welfare.
“We recognise it’s been a short pre-season, we recognise we’re in a very congested season now and we feel it’s appropriate to have the ability to have five substitutes.
“In terms of the Premier League, that’s obviously something for the clubs to decide on.
“Would we prefer it if the Premier League brought in five subs? Yes, we would prefer it.
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“But it’s not our decision. We understand people’s reluctance to bring something in mid-season but our preference would be to see five subs.”
The FA and Prem will be aligned with the introduction of permanent concussion substitutions, as part of a Fifa trial, from the start of next year.
Thursday’s meeting will see the Prem adopt a model allowing teams up to two extra substitution for head injuries, with the opposing team also granted matched replacements, after Ifab gave the green light.
The decision was criticised with neurologist Willie Stewart, who has conducted major research on dementia, dismissing it as ‘putting lipstick on a pig’.
Luke Griggs of the brain injury charity Headway questioned whether safety might be put more at risk than if teams were allowed temporary changes, allowing players to be assessed.
He said: “A temporary concussion substitution allows the player to be assessed off the pitch, in a quiet, appropriate treatment room away from the heat of battle and the glare of players, officials, coaches and fans.
“We know how difficult it can be for club medics to make concussion assessments on or at the side of the pitch, particularly in such a short space of time or when there are language barriers.”
But Ifab technical head and former leading FA referee David Elleray insisted: “If you have temporary substitutes, the players often want to go back on and that could be more of a risk than taking them out permanently.”
We think the model where you can have substitutes coming on for the other team is fairer
Mark Bullingham
The new Law means each side in FA Cup action could, theoretically, make EIGHT changes if there are two head injuries in a match that goes to extra time.
But Bullingham insisted: “We think the model where you can have substitutes coming on for the other team is fairer.
“We don’t think that the team should gain advantage from someone going off with a suspected concussion. That’s basically where we settled out on that.”