Lega Serie A President Lorenzo Casini feels football should change by allowing coaches to reintroduce substituted players during a game, so they can rest and resume playing.
Casini attended an event in Naples on Sunday claiming football rules could further change in the future after the initially temporary five-substitution rule became a permanent law.
“After the pandemic, five substitutions [per game] have become the norm,” said Casini as quoted by Calcio & Finanza.
“Now, we can think about other changes, such as reintroducing a player who had been subbed off so a footballer can rest on the bench for a while and then resume playing.
“Five substitutions favour clubs with a deep squad, but don’t allow players to be reintroduced. Think about [Paulo] Dybala in the Europa League Final. He was taken off at some point, but he could have returned to the pitch during extra time.”
Dybala was not fully fit when Roma met Sevilla in a Europa League Final this past May but started for the Giallorossi and broke the deadlock in the first half. He was subbed off at minute 68 and Roma eventually lost the Final on penalties.
During his speech in Naples today, Casini also spoke about stadiums in Italy. This is a crucial talking point in the country, especially after Italy won a bid to co-host Euro 2032 with Turkey.
“In Italy, there is a big problem regarding stadiums and infrastructures for young players in football,” said Casini.
“We have seen the results in Florence with one of the best training centres in Europe [Fiorentina‘s Viola Park], but most clubs have exaggerated limitations.
“As for stadiums, we are far behind due to economic and cultural reasons. Aside from Euro 2032 stadiums, everyone must cooperate with the Government to soon have stadiums worthy of Serie A, bearing in mind that a stadium is not only a place to watch a game on Sunday but a place that can offer services throughout the week. It can even produce energy and be a technological hub as we see elsewhere, but not in Italy.”
Casini replaced Paolo Dal Pino as the Lega Serie A President in March 2022.