Soccer lawmakers set to make 5 subs option permanent

ZURICH (AP) — Soccer’s lawmakers are moving to make permanent the pandemic-era option of using five substitutes. They have also dropped a proposal to let halftime be extended to 25 minutes. IFAB announced the updates for its decision-making annual meeting taking place in March. In May 2020 high-level competitions were given the choice to allow teams five replacements in a 90-minute game. It was to help manage players’ health in fixture congestion when competitions restarted after a near-global shutdown. South American soccer body CONMEBOL wanted 25-minute breaks to stage Super Bowl-style shows at halftime of cup finals.