Five substitutes to be written into football law at an IFAB meeting in Doha, Qatar on Monday

The use of five substitutes will be introduced into the laws of the game when football’s lawmakers, the International Football Association Board, meet in Doha on Monday.

The rules introduced in May 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic will be made permanent on Monday ahead of the 2022/23 season at the discretion of organisers of each competition.

Also on the agenda for IFAB is a discussion on concussion substitutes and semi-automated offside technology.

Last season the Premier League became the only competition not to continue with five substitutions and went back to a maximum of three in a match.

However, Premier League clubs agreed to allow five substitutes for the 2022/23 season after a vote was cast in March.

IFAB says substitutions can be made on three occasions during a match, excluding any changes at half-time. A sixth change can be made if a match goes to extra-time.

FIFA has held trials of semi-automated offside technology at the FIFA Club World Cup and the FIFA Arab Cup.

Chairman of FIFA’s referee committee Pierluigi Collina says the technology is still in the testing phase.

“We’re continuing a test to try to achieve the objective: to have more accurate decisions and also quicker decisions in offside incidents,” he said.

“Someone called it robot offside; it’s not. The referees and the assistant referees are still responsible for the decision on the field of play.

“The technology only gives them valued support to make more accurate and quicker decisions, particularly when the offside incident is very tight and very difficult.”