The Premier League and Major League Soccer are among the leagues lobbying for temporary concussion substitutions ahead of the International Football Association Board’s (IFAB) Annual General Meeting (AGM) next month.
IFAB will meet in Cardiff, Wales, on February 28, and the Premier League is hopeful that football’s lawmakers will agree to allow them to implement a trial period for temporary concussion substitutions (TCSs).
Ahead of IFAB’s Annual Business Meeting (ABM) in London on January 20, a letter signed by more than 25 leagues and unions, including the Premier League, MLS, Serie A, and the French LFP, with FIFPRO, a globally recognised players’ union, and the European Leagues Association and World Leagues Association, was sent to the organisation calling on them to permit a trial period for TCSs.
The Premier League also separately wrote to IFAB before the ABM to formally request a trial, noting their support from the English Football League (EFL) and the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), and has offered to meet football’s lawmakers to further discuss the matter.
England’s top flight, along with the EFL and the PFA, believe the trial of TCSs would be in the best interests of player welfare.
Premier League sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, admitted their surprise at the fact there was no mention of TCSs in IFAB’s post-AMB press release, despite being of the understanding that there was a full discussion on the issue.
Those sources also believe there are no longer any barriers to its introduction on the basis that IFAB previously rejected their calls on the basis that a trial of additional permanent concussion substitutions was being implemented. But with that trial now over, the leagues and unions that have signed the letter believe a trial permitting TCSs should be allowed.
If IFAB were to permit trials for TCSs, then the Premier League has already considered and developed a regulatory framework to ensure teams do not misuse them to gain a competitive advantage. This includes allowing the other team to make an additional substitution whenever a TCS is introduced to ensure both sides can make the same number of changes in a match, as well as an oversight group to review video footage of all incidents where a TCS is used to ensure it was legitimate for the player to be assessed.
Should IFAB introduce a trial for TCSs, then the Premier League has indicated they would be committed to sharing their data and learnings with FIFA and IFAB.
The Athletic has approached IFAB for comment.
