•LONDON • Managers will be able to make up to five substitutions for the remainder of the English Premier League season, after clubs agreed to the temporary rule change at a meeting yesterday.

Football's world governing body Fifa had proposed the solution last month to "protect player welfare", with a large number of matches packed into a few weeks to clear the backlog of a three-month layoff due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"For the remainder of the 2019-20 season, the number of substitutes that can be used during a match will increase from three to five players," the Premier League said in a statement.

"Shareholders also approved for clubs to increase the maximum number of substitute players on the bench from seven to nine for the rest of the 2019-20 season."

To avoid too many stoppages, each team will still only have three opportunities to make changes, besides half-time.

According to The Telegraph, Aston Villa, Sheffield United, Bournemouth and West Ham all voted against the increase in substitutes, but the vote was still passed 16-4.

The Premier League will resume after a three-month delay on June 17, with Manchester City hosting Arsenal and the Blades travelling to Villa.

The remaining nine full rounds of fixtures are then expected to be completed in just six weeks.

The quarter-finals of the FA Cup are tentatively scheduled for the weekend of June 27-28. The semi-finals are earmarked for July 11-12, with Aug 1 pencilled in as the date of the final.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE