LONDON: UEFA said on Tuesday it will allow increased 26-player squads at this year’s European Championship, meeting a demand of coaches who feared players would be sidelined after testing positive for Covid-19.
European football’s governing body said it had agreed the increase from 23 players “to mitigate the risks of teams facing a shortage of available players for certain matches due to possible positive COVID-19 tests results and subsequent quarantine measures”.
The UEFA Executive Committee approved special rules for the UEFA EURO 2020 final tournament in order to guarantee the smooth running and continuity of the competition in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The following key regulatory changes will be implemented:
Increase of the player list from 23 to 26 players
To mitigate the risks of teams facing a shortage of available players for certain matches due to possible positive COVID-19 tests results and subsequent quarantine measures ordered by competent authorities, it has been decided to exceptionally increase the player list for all participating teams to 26 players.
However, 23 players shall remain the maximum number permitted on the match sheet for each individual match (in accordance with Law 3 of the IFAB Laws of the Game permitting a maximum of 12 substitutes to be named for A-national team matches), including three goalkeepers.
Player list replacements
Once the player list has been submitted on 1 June 2021, the current regulations allow unlimited replacements on the player list in case of serious injury or illness before the first match, provided that the replacements are medically certified.
For the sake of clarity, players who have tested positive for COVID-19 or who have been declared as “close contacts” of a positive COVID-19 tested person – and therefore put in isolation – by way of an authorities’ decision are considered cases of serious illness and can therefore be replaced before the first match with the approval of the UEFA administration.
The new regulations will now also allow goalkeepers to be replaced before each match during the tournament in case of physical incapacity even if one or two goalkeepers from the player list are still available To ensure the integrity of the competition, a player who has been replaced on the player list cannot be readmitted to the list.
(Source: UEFA Media)
