Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League clash with Chelsea will see both sides able to make six substitutions rather than the usual five, should they wish to do so.
The two kicked off Saturday’s late game in north London bidding to come away with local bragging rights. Spurs started the day in third, owing to a strong opening under Thomas Frank’s management, while Chelsea were languishing in the bottom half in the wake of an indifferent run of form under Enzo Maresca.
Ordinarily, both teams would be able to name nine players on their substitutes bench, with five players able to come on and influence the game. But that situation changed in the early stages after Spurs midfielder Lucas Bergvall took a blow to the head.
Bergvall Substitution Leads to Rule Change
The Premier League introduced concussion substitutions in 2021, following a period of consultation with medical experts and national associations. Those changes, along with others, are then continually reviewed by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) who uphold the laws of the game.
Currently, the following protocols are in place:
IFAB Concussion Substitution Protocols
- Each team is permitted to use a maximum of one ‘concussion substitute’ in a match.
- A ‘concussion substitution’ may be made regardless of the number of substitutes already used.
- In competitions in which the number of named substitutes is the same as the maximum number of ‘normal substitutes’ that can be used, the ‘concussion substitute’ can be a player who has previously been substituted and may be used at any time, regardless of the number of substitutes already used.
- When a ‘concussion substitute’ is used, the opposing team then has the option to use an ‘additional substitute’ for any reason.
With Spurs’ medical team suspecting Bergvall may have suffered a concussion, he was withdrawn by Frank to be replaced by summer signing Xavi Simons. As a result of the Swede’s substitution, Chelsea are now able to make six changes and can implement that if Maresca wants to make additional tactical tweaks—something supporters may deem to be somewhat of an advantage.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Tottenham, Chelsea Can Make Six Substitutions Against Each Other.
