The 2020/2021 Europa League campaign is almost upon us.
Sevilla finished last season as Europa League champions, collecting their sixth title to make them the most successful team in the competition’s history.
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur fans will be hopeful they can see their team lift the trophy come the end of the 2020/21 campaign, with Spurs still having to overcome their final qualifying clash with Maccabi Haifa.
But what, if any, rule changes have been made since Sevilla's recent success in Cologne?
Substitutes
One of the most notable changes UEFA have confirmed is that teams will still be able to make five substitutions in every match during this season’s Europa League.
FIFA first proposed the law amendment in a bid to help clubs manage player workloads during the truncated fixture schedule in the wake of Covid-19.
UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin revealed that the executive committee had approved the use of five substitutes across several competitions including the 2020/2021 Europa League.
“After representations from clubs and national associations the executive committee approved the use of five substitutions in club and international matches for the rest of the season,” he said.
The news was welcomed by the world players’ union FIFPRO, with the other notable change to squad rules seeing the number of players Spurs and Arsenal are allowed on the match sheet increased to 23.
VAR
Elsewhere, the use of a Video Assistant Referee will only apply to the knockout rounds of the competition.
“Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will not be introduced for the group phase, as was planned,” a statement read . “It will still be used in the knockout stage, with introduction for the group stage in 2021/22.”
Arsenal and Tottenham fans will also be hopeful of hearing an update on when they can potentially return to stadiums to watch their team compete in the Europa League, but a decision regarding the matter has not yet been reached.
