Teams will be able to use to four substitutes if a match goes to extra-time at Rio 2016 ©Getty Images

FIFA are to use the football tournament at this year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro to trial a new system which will allow teams to use a fourth substitute if a match goes to extra-time, it was announced today.

The proposal was given a go-ahead by elected FIFA President Gianni Infantino following a meeting of the world governing body's Executive Committee in Zurich today.

The football world governing body has decided that in addition to having three substitutes, a fourth will be introduced during extra-time.

Apart from the Oympics, the experiment will be carried out during this year's Women's FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Papua New Guinea and the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.

Teams have been allowed to make three susbtitutions per match since 1995 ©Getty Images
Teams have been allowed to make three susbtitutions per match since 1995 ©Getty Images

"Following the recent decision by the IFAB (International Football Association Board) to allow experimentation with a fourth substitution in extra time, the FIFA Executive Committee agreed for such experiments to be conducted this year at the Olympic Football Tournaments, the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Papua New Guinea and the FIFA Club World Cup Japan," a statement from FIFA said.

The number of substitutes teams have been allowed to use in a competitive match has increased from zero to one, to two out of a possible five in 1988, two plus one for an injured goalkeeper in 1994 and then in 1995 to three.

The first record of a substitute being used in football as we known it today came during the qualifying tournament for the 1954 FIFA World Cup when Richard Gottinger replaced Horst Eckel in West Germany’s match against the Saarland.

The football tournament at Rio 2016 is due to feature 16 men's and 12 women's teams.