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I was surprised to see FIFA thinking out the box looking at ways to help teams through what will be a challenging schedule when foot ball kicks off again. Most of the leagues have anywhere from 8-13 matches remaining plus some having Champions League, UEFA and local cup games to complete.
A month ago teams were discussing how they would need 3 months to finish their fixture lists, but the luxury of having 12 weeks has disappeared. In the real world clubs will have half that time and possibly less. A smaller squad will be put to the test compared to the bigger teams who have much bigger squads with more depth.
When the leagues start up teams will need to be playing every second or third day to squeeze in and complete the league as quickly as possible. I think they have bought the extra two subs in is to also try and prevent injuries so as the players can have some extra rest. The Premier League teams will be used to a compacted fixture list as this is what they do over Christmas and New year.
FIFA is passing through some small changes to help the teams for this period. Teams normally have 3 substitutions per match and now they will have 5. Subs can be made at half time and on two other occasions. This is to stop time wasting and something I would like to see kept permanently once this is all over. I can't stand when teams use substitutions for wasting time towards the end of a game and just see it as negative tactics exploiting the rules.
Having extra substitutes will allow the squads to be rotated resting players more allowing them to cope with a hectic fixture list. Teams should be 100 percent fit and raring to go after this forced break and FIFA are somewhat spoiling them. They are professional sportsmen at the end of the day and are well paid to entertain.
UEFA also announced they would be handing out £3.75m per country to it's 55 association members. It sounds like a lot, but that money won't really do much. You would think they should have handed out much more or only helped the clubs that needed help. This money is meant to help clubs this season and next season which looking at the number of clubs is paltry and a slap in the face. The FA in England has 92 teams in the leagues and offering £3.75m over two seasons is the same as saying we don't really care. It equates to £20 000 per team per season shared equally.
Last season UEFA made €3.86 billion of which 80 percent was paid out to the 55 member associations and prizewinners. That leaves UEFA with €760 Million and they only hand out around €230 Million to help the clubs. Where is the rest of the money as this is a time of need.
It is a good move by FIFA to help reduce possible injuries and fatigue on players considering the proposed jampack match schedules.
I guess this is good. What are the two other occasions where they can make subs? The same way that it is now?
It is insane to me how much money is in this sport :)