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Fourth subsitution vote

April 29, 2015

In a 244 player survey conducted by the World Players' union FIFPro, footballers have voted in favor of a fourth substitution being allowed in games. Substitutions have been a part of professional football since 1958.

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Professional footballers have voted in favor of a fourth substitution being allowed in matches during a survey conducted by the World Players' union FIFPro. 244 players from 27 countries took part in the survey, according to FIFPro, and 205 (84 percent) were in favor, whilst the other 39 (16 percent) voted against the proposition.

"It's a position that will challenge traditional views, but the players have one of the most important roles in this debate," said FIFPro Secretary General Theo van Seggelen.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB), football's law-enforcing body, rejected a proposal in February to allow a fourth substitution in extra time, instead sending it for further analysis to an advisory panel.

FIFPro however, who were present on the IFAB's advisory panel which met in London on Monday, said that 84 percent of the players who took part in its survey voted in favor of the fourth substitution.

"The response to our survey is overwhelming; whether only applied to extra time or during the regulation 90 minutes, professional footballers worldwide surveyed by FIFPro see a need to add a fourth substitute," said Seggelen.

apc/jh (Reuters, AP)