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The International
Football Association Board (IFAB) held its 117th Annual General
Meeting on Saturday 15 March 2003 at the Culloden Hotel, Belfast,
Northern Ireland.
FIFA was granted
permission to experiment with the use of a two-way high-frequency
radio communication between the match officials. The use of such a
system would improve the co-ordination of actions between the
match officials in a more efficient manner. It is likely that the
first test will be conducted at the FIFA Confederations Cup from
18 - 29 June 2003 in France.
Following discussion at
the FIFA Referees’ Committee on the 20 February 2003, when the
members expressed reservations about the experiment with goal-line
assistants, FIFA withdrew its request for this experiment at the
request of the Board.
Another topic of
discussion at the meeting was the use of video evidence to alter
decisions of the referee, an item submitted by the Irish Football
Association. The Board reconfirmed its previous position that the
decisions of the referee, and in particular factual decisions
related to the result of a match, are final.
The discipline aspects
of video evidence were also discussed and the matter was referred
to the FIFA Legal Committee for further consideration.
With respect to the
Laws of the Game the Board approved a proposal by FIFA to delete
the regulations with regard to advertising on players’ equipment.
This matter would be dealt with under the rules of a particular
competition.
Another alteration was
agreed in the procedure to determine the winner of a match with
kicks from the penalty mark. The team which wins the toss now has
the choice of whether to take the first or second kick. In the
Additional Instructions for Referees, Assistant Referees and
Fourth Officials the Board included a provision reminding referees
to apply the Law correctly in cases of infringements by players
entering the penalty area before the ball has been kicked or
goalkeepers moving off the goal line before the ball has been
kicked.
The Board reconfirmed
its support for artificial surfaces and mandated FIFA to create
procedures for its use which are valid for the whole world.
The Board also
recognised the need for uniformity in the procedures which are
used to determine the result of a match. The Sub-Committee of the
IFAB was instructed to consider this matter and report
recommendations back to the Board.
The Board reaffirmed
its decision, taken at the last Annual General Meeting, that
temporary expulsion of players at all levels in the game should
not take place.
The Board also heard a
report from the Football Association of England on the experiment
in the English Professional Leagues where play is moved forward
9.15 metres when a free kick is delayed by a player failing to
respect the required distance or by dissent. It was decided to
continue this experiment for one more year and also to hold the
experiment at the FIFA U-17 World Championship from 13 – 30 August
2003 in Finland.
A detailed presentation
was made by Professor Jiri Dvorak, Chairman of the FIFA Medical
Assessment and Research Centre (F-MARC) on the findings of surveys
regarding injuries to players and ways that these can be
prevented. The members of the Board were highly appreciative of
the detailed information provided.
Finally, the Board
amended its own rules to allow the Annual General Meeting to take
place anytime during the months of February or March so as to give
the associations greater ease in arranging a suitable date.
By special agreement
the 2004 Annual General Meeting of the International Football
Association Board, in FIFA’s Centenary Year, will be held in Great
Britain in recognition of the historical importance of the British
Associations in the development of the game and of the Laws of the
Game
