FIFA Considers Adding a Fourth Substitute For Matches That Need Extra Time
By Mike Cardillo
The International Football Association Board will meet later this month in Northern Ireland to discuss some rule changes for soccer. The Daily Mail writes that one option up for vote is whether or not to allow teams a fourth substitution should matches go to extra time, citing Germany National Team coach Joachim Löw as one of its proponents.
FIFA and innovation rarely get mentioned in the same sentence, but, much like goal line technology, there’s little downside to adding a fourth sub. One of the common complaints — if only from America — is when a major tournament like the World Cup goes to extra time and is eventually settled on penalty kicks. Adding a fourth sub won’t completely stop that from happening, but an additional player with fresh legs should lead to a little more impetus on the field after the 90th minute.
What piques my interest the most is the changes it could lead to for late-game strategy by the manager. If you know you’ve got one sub in your back pocket, perhaps you’d be more willing to go for it late in regular time and throw an extra sub on before the full time whistle. Or you can take the approach that Löw used in Brazil during Germany’s World Cup-winning run, using both Andre Schürrle and Mario Götze as super-subs. Götze scored the game-winner vs. Argentina in the final in the 113th minute.
For whatever it’s worth, in the eight matches that went to extra time at the 2014 World Cup, each team used all three available subs. 15 of those 48 substitutions came after regulation. Notably, both Romelu Lukaku and Julian Green scored as subs in Belgium’s Round of 16 win over the United States.
Once upon a time, soccer didn’t allow for substitutions of any kind. Adding a potential sub that can only be used in extra time isn’t going to change the fabric of the game, instead it adds a worthwhile wrinkle for managers to consider in important matches. Anything that would cut down on penalty kicks as a decider should be considered.
[Photo via Getty]