ZURICH — Players who switch clubs during the course of a season will be allowed to play for both in the Champions League under new rules announced by UEFA Tuesday. The European global soccer body said in a statement that it would also allow teams to use a fourth substitute in extra-time during Champions League and Europa League knockout ties. The new ruling, to come into effect next season, means that a player who been fielded by one club in the group stage of the Champions League, and is transferred during the January window, can play for his new club in the knockout stages. The same applies to the Europa League. Under current rules, clubs who qualify for the knockout stage of either the Champions League or Europa League are allowed to register three new players. These can include one player who has represented a different club in the Europa League group stages but none who have been fielded for another club in the Champions League group stage. The present ruling prevents Barcelona from fielding Philippe Coutinho in the Champions League this season as he has already played for Liverpool. Alexis Sanchez was eligible for Manchester United, however, as he switched from Arsenal in the Europa League to the Champions League. The new rules state that “that a club may register three new eligible players without any restrictions.” UEFA said the new ruling brought it into line with domestic leagues which “do not impose restrictions on the eligibility for competitions of players registered for a new club during the winter transfer window.” UEFA said the fourth substitution will be allowed following its approval by soccer’s law-making body IFAB on March 3. It said that 23 players, instead of 18, would be allowed on team sheets for the Champions League and Europa League finals, and the European Super Cup match. Clubs call for rest periods in international calendar European clubs want mandatory rest periods inserted into the international calendar to give players more time to recover from games and train, the head of their association said Tuesday. “It is paramount to preserve and respect the main actors who are the players,” Andrea Agnelli, chairman the European Club Association (ECA), told reporters. He said the ECA would press for “an overall reduction of games including mandatory rest periods”, for the next international calendar, starting in 2024. “Preserving the game can only lead to enlarging the audience with the benefits this would bring for everyone,” added Agnelli, who is president of Serie A champions Juventus. The international match calendar, which is drawn up by world soccer’s ruling body FIFA, co-ordinates fixtures around the globe, allocating dates for international matches and tournaments to avoid clashes with domestic competitions. The current match calendar runs until 2024 and allows for eight to 10 internationals per year in addition to major tournaments such as the World Cup, European championship and Copa America. Top players can easily play 60 to 70 games in a season for their clubs and national teams and Agnelli demanded that clubs be consulted before the next calendar is drafted. “We clubs are the ones investing in the game, we are the ones running the risks on a daily basis both on and off the pitch, so we want to make sure our voice is properly heard when decisions are taken,” he said. Agnelli explained that the rest periods would mean players could train, but would not play matches. “Players are playing two or three times a week at club level and international level,” he said. “We must take into consideration weeks when players can rest and train, and reduce the overall the number of games.” — Reuters