Quote:
Originally posted by stoli
"Substitution rules state that 3 players can be substituted per team, Does anyone know when this rule was implemented?"
"Was it ever before a two player per team substitution rule?"
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The Laws of the Game state the number of subs in official matches (played under Fifa [World Cup], Confederations [Champions League, Concacaf Gold Cup, etc], and Federations [L.H.U.S. Open Cup, etc]) to be 3, but other matches can have more.
For example, the USL I think has 5 subs. To be technical, the USL is a League under the USSF, not the USSF itself, so it is not limited to 3 subs. The WUSA (at least in the first year) had 4 subs.
LAW 3 - The Number of Players
Players
A match is played by two teams, each consisting of not more than eleven players, one of whom is the goalkeeper. A match may not start if either team consists of fewer than seven players.
Official Competitions
Up to a maximum of three substitutes may be used in any match played in an official competition organised under the auspices of FIFA, the confederations or the national associations.
The rules of the competition must state how many substitutes may be nominated, from three up to a maximum of seven.
Other Matches
In other matches, substitutes may be used, provided that:
- the teams concerned reach agreement on a maximum number
- the referee is informed before the match
If the referee is not informed, or if no agreement is reached before the start of the match, no more than three substitutes are allowed.