Soccer laws panel gets leagues’ request for concussion subs

By The Associated Press

FILE - Iran's goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand collides with Iran's Majid Hosseini, right, during the World Cup group B soccer match between England and Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Monday, Nov. 21, 2022. A request by England’s Premier League and Major League Soccer to use temporary substitutes for players with suspected concussion goes to a meeting of the game’s lawmaking panel on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Alessandra Tarantino]

LONDON (AP) — A request by the Premier League and Major League Soccer to use temporary substitutes for players with suspected concussion goes to a meeting Wednesday of the game’s lawmaking panel. The leagues have been joined by France’s Ligue 1 in asking for a more flexible protocol for head injuries next season. The MLS season opens Feb. 25. The soccer laws panel known as IFAB rejected trials of temporary substitutes last year. The leagues and players’ union FIFPRO believe temporary substitutions give medical staff time to properly assess head injuries without the pressure of games continuing while a team is missing one player.