Spanish FA propose five subs when La Liga resumes

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has officially announced it will propose the possibility of allowing teams to make five substitutions per game if football returns in the country.

The measure, which had previously been suggested by FIFA, would be introduced in order to help teams better manage player fitness after a long period away from the game.

A statement from the RFEF said the changes could be made at three points in each match, in order to lessen the impact of a potential 10 substitutions would have on running down the clock.

The measure, which would be introduced in the event of La Liga being able to resume play, is now pending approval from the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the international body which oversees the laws of the game.

The statement confirmed that RFEF president Luis Rubiales had communicated the idea to La Liga chief Javier Tebas, who indicated his support for the idea.

It continued: “Rubiales detailed that more than a month ago the RFEF raised with FIFA the possibility that more changes than usual could be made in the games, given the situation of the players, once the games resumed.

“FIFA recently approved the possibility of making these changes and transferred it to the IFAB, the international body in charge of approving the amendments to the regulations, which in this case is pending the green light for this measure in the case of the First Division.

“In the case of the other national categories, the RFEF is the one that has the competence to approve it.

“The RFEF has decided to propose to the Delegate Commission tomorrow the possibility of making five changes in all national categories, which would also apply to the playoffs designed in the competition resolution proposal. These changes would be limited to three moments, in such a way that time losses will be avoided.”

La Liga clubs have been returning to their training bases for medical tests in recent days, with the hope that some form of training can begin in the near future.

On Thursday, Barcelona confirmed that all of their first-team squad had tested negative for coronavirus, with Ousmane Dembele the only member not tested due to his long-term injury.