Premier League clubs will be able to use five substitutes, rather than the usual three, when the season resumes on June 17, it was announced yesterday. The change was decided during a virtual meeting of the league’s shareholders, where broadcast enhancements were also discussed to compensate for the absence of supporters at games.
The increase in substitutions will be temporary to mitigate the packed schedule clubs will have after a three-month suspension to the season caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. There are 92 outstanding fixtures with the majority of teams facing nine matches in a six-week period.
“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,” a Premier League statement said after a meeting of shareholders. “This is in line with the temporary law amendment made by the International Football Association Board last month.”
Clubs will be able to have nine substitutes on the bench, up from the usual seven. The games are expected to be held on the normal ‘home and away’ basis, with only a handful of fixtures possibly being moved to neutral venues if authorities believe there may be a risk of fans turning up outside the ground.
Clubs also discussed possible ‘broadcast enhancements’ to allow television to have additional material to liven up the coverage of games without fans. Reports have suggested that cameras on the bench, in the dressing room and extra ones in the tunnel could be allowed along with sound of the coin toss before the game. The league’s Broadcast Enhancement Advisory Group have been looking at how to compensate for the lack of atmosphere. The broadcasters themselves have been examining possible changes they could make, including a possible option for ‘enhanced audio’ featuring crowd noises.
One option under consideration is for TV viewers to be given a choice of the natural sound in the stadium or, via a button, a version with recorded crowd noise. No decision was made and the league is also ironing out the details of the first batch of fixture dates.
The games are expected to be spread out with one scenario envisaging two matches on Friday evening, four on Saturday, three on Sunday and the regular Monday night slot. No games would be played simultaneously.
Tottenham claim £175mn loan to offset huge loss
Tottenham have received a £175mn ($220mn) loan from the Bank of England to help them through the coronavirus crisis as the club predicted losses of £200mn over the next year.
Spurs’ finances will be damaged by the loss of matchday and hospitality income, cancellation of non-football events such as NFL matches and concerts and rebates owed to television broadcasters.
“Due to the significance of income from matchday, conferencing and third-party live events such as concerts and other sports, our estimated revenue loss, including broadcast rebates, may exceed £200mn for the period to June, 2021,” Tottenham said in a statement.
The Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF), provided by the Bank of England is available to companies with a strong investment grade rating and who “make a material contribution” to the British economy.
English top-flight clubs are reportedly facing a rebate bill of £330mn to broadcasters as matches could not be completed on schedule and will now be played behind closed doors. Manchester United predicted last month they would have to repay £20mn worth of broadcasting revenue from Premier League rights.
“It is imperative that we now all work together — scientists, technologists, the government and the live events sector — to find a safe way to bring spectators back to sport and entertainment venues,” said Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy. “Collectively we have the ability to support the development of new technologies to make this possible and to once again experience the passion of fans at live events.”
Tottenham performed a U-turn in April by scrapping plans to use government money to pay their non-playing staff. The original decision to use the furlough scheme had led to widespread criticism, including from senior political figures and the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust.
Premier League clubs will be able to have nine substitutes on the bench, up from the usual seven. (AFP)
