On January 26, 2017, we posted a question and answer on the topic of “Illegal Substitution Problems.” After reviewing the Law issues, we offered a practical solution which, at the time, was not entirely supported by the letter of the Law but, to us, seemed acceptable and consistent with the “spirit” of the Law, and we warned that adopting this approach might be met with resistance by some officials. We invite readers to locate this item, review the different options it discussed, and feel comforted in the fact that the International Board has now officially adopted the “practical” solution we offered as part of the Board’s newly-adopted 2017-2018 version of the Laws of the Game.
