Belfast - Football's rule-making body, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), rejected the idea of a fourth substitution in extra time on Saturday but is considering dropping the one-match ban for so-called “triple punishments”.
The body, which consists of the four British associations and four from world governing body FIFA, also wants more time to discuss video trials being carried out in the Netherlands by the Dutch FA (KNVB).
The fourth substitute proposal did not get approval but will be referred back for further analysis because there were concerns it would lead to demands for an even greater number of substitutions during matches.
However, IFAB agreed that the triple punishment was too strong a sanction, and agreed in principle that the one-match ban could be dropped, pending further investigation.
The sanction of the controversial triple punishment rule is when a player is sent off, concedes a penalty and is then banned for one match for stopping a clear scoring chance to the opposition in the penalty area.
The Dutch FA wanted to extend their experiment, which involves a video assistant, watching a TV monitor and liaising with the referee via a headset to help him make the right decision on crucial plays.
They hope to use the system in their FA Cup competition but the idea was referred back for further discussion.
IFAB, formed in 1886, pre-dates FIFA's founding by 18 years, and is the game's ultimate law-making body with proposed changes needing a 75 percent majority to make it into the statute book. – Reuters