In light of the major impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the world and sport, FIFA has introduced a temporary amendment to the Futsal Laws of the Game with regard to the substitution procedure mentioned in Law 3 – The Players.
The current text in the Futsal Laws of the Game 2020/21 states:
“The substitution is completed when a substitute fully enters the pitch via his/her own team’s substitution zone after handing the bib to the player being replaced, unless the latter player has had to leave the pitch via another zone for any reason provided for in the Futsal Laws of the Game, in which case the substitute shall hand the bib to the third referee.”
The action of handing the bib to the player being replaced or the third referee could be a risk in the current circumstances. The above-mentioned text has therefore been temporarily amended and now simply reads as follows:
“The substitution is completed when a substitute fully enters the pitch via his/her own team’s substitution zone.”
This temporary amendment comes into force with immediate effect for competitions scheduled to be completed by 31 December 2020, whether or not they have already started. FIFA will determine at a later stage whether the amendment will need to be extended further (e.g. to competitions due to be completed in 2021).
