Former Manchester United defender-turned-pundit Gary Neville has offered fresh suggestions amid the footballing governing bodies' ongoing project to make football a more entertaining product for viewers worldwide.
The 49-year-old has gained plaudits over the years for his outspoken views on a number of different issues facing football over the past decade, most notably his stern opposition to the proposed European Super League plans in 2021.
Neville's experience as a commentator gives him a unique perspective of how football is viewed on television, prompting his latest rule change suggestions.
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Gary Neville offers fresh rule change suggestion
Speaking on Sky Bet's Stick to Football podcast, Neville suggested a change to the substitutions are carried out, explaining that he felt the consistent stoppage in play leads to a more stagnant game as a whole.
“My change in the game would be – and it’s come from commentating, watching the game and just being incredibly frustrated in the second half mainly of matches – is stopping the game for substitutes in 2024," Neville told the rest of the panel.
"There should be rolling substitutes – you can make five substitutes now in a match, I know it’s only three points in the second half, but you’ve sometimes got six stoppages in the second half, all within the space of 25-30 minutes at times. It’s so annoying and you think to yourself, ‘Why can’t we have rolling substitutes whereby the fourth official manages the process for you.’
“It’s up to the clubs to make decisions at the right time and substitutions at the right time, but my point is that the number of substitutions and stoppages in the second half is mad.”
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The claim comes after outcry regarding the amount of time the ball is actually in play across Premier League games over the past few seasons, with last season seeing just under an hour worth of action across a 90 minutes game - up from 55 minutes the season prior.
Rules regarding extended added time were bought in last season in an attempt to combat such an issue, although it appears such rules have been quietly scrapped based on the early evidence from the new campaign.
