Scottish Premiership clubs agree to five substitutes rule change after winter break
Teams will now be allowed to name a bench of up to nine players due to various ongoing fixture and Covid concerns
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Scottish Premiership clubs have voted to increase the number of substitutes allowed in league matches to five for the remainder of the season.
The top-flight teams have used three subs this term after opting to use five last season during the peak of the Coronavirus pandemic when games were played behind closed doors.
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The new rule will come into force after the winter break in time for the Premiership resumption on Monday 17 January when Celtic entertain Hibernian at Parkhead, in a League Cup Final rematch.


The SPFL circulated a written resolution asking whether clubs wished to continue with three substitutes only or to increase the number to five and with the vote now approved to reverse the decision.
75% of clubs supported the decision, which will also allow them to name a bench of up to nine players amid a congested fixture calendar and concerns surrounding weather conditions and Covid and isolation measures.
The use of five substitutes is already permitted in League 2 and the SPFL is consulting with Championship and League 1 clubs over the position in their divisions.
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An SPFL spokesman said: “FIFA has allowed each league to determine its own rules regarding substitutes since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
“As a members’ organisation, it is key that clubs in each division are able to make decisions on issues such as this for themselves.”