The English Football League, representing the divisions below the Premier League, said Wednesday that five substitutes will be allowed across all divisions from the next round of fixtures.

This follows an announcement by the International Football Association Board, the sport's rule-making body, that the five substitutes rule would be extended into 2020/21 -- but that it was up to individual competitions to choose whether to apply the rule.

The Football League, which runs the three divisions beneath England's separately-controlled elite Premier League, said in a statement: "Following consultation with clubs, the EFL board has agreed to increase the permitted number of substitutes to five in all Sky Bet EFL fixtures taking place from 12 noon on Friday 20 November for the remainder of the 2020/21 season."

The Premier League is the only major top-flight division in European football which is not allowing teams to make five changes in a match during the current campaign.

 

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