Premier League to trial concussion substitutes

London - The new rule will allow a maximum of two permanent concussion replacements in cases of head injury, regardless of the number of substitutions a team has made already

Premier League clubs on Thursday agreed in principle to introduce additional permanent concussion substitutions after the sport’s rule-making body IFAB approved trials.

Representatives from all 20 clubs attended a shareholders’ meeting, where they discussed the issue following IFAB’s decision to give the go-ahead to trials on Wednesday.

The new rule will allow a maximum of two permanent concussion replacements in cases of head injury, regardless of the number of substitutions a team has made already.

The new protocols will also allow the opposing team to make an equivalent number of changes and the league has said it hopes to begin trials by January.

“The trial is a result of the IFAB’s consultation with stakeholders and recommendations from their concussion expert group to allow additional substitutions for players with actual or suspected concussion,” the league said in a statement.

“The League will now apply for permission from the IFAB, via The FA (Football Association), to take part in the trial which could be implemented as early as January 2021.”

The shareholders also approved an amendment to the league’s rules to increase the number of substitutes a club may include on their team sheet from seven to nine from round 14 until the end of the season.