The International Football Association Board (The IFAB) has confirmed the agenda for its 129th annual general meeting (AGM) set to take place at the Culloden Hotel in Craigavad, near Belfast, on Saturday 28 February. The meeting will be chaired by Jim Shaw, President of the Irish Football Association. It follows on from the inaugural meetings of two new advisory panels – a Technical Panel and a Football Panel – which convened in conjunction with The IFAB annual business meeting (ABM) held in Belfast.
At this year’s AGM, a decision is expected to be taken on a proposal presented to The IFAB by FIFA on behalf of its member associations and confederations to amend Law 3 of the Laws of the Game to allow a fourth substitution in extra time. Also up for decision in relation to Law 3 is a proposal to allow for greater flexibility in the use of substitutions in grassroots/recreational football, after successful experiments were conducted by The FA and the Scottish FA. Furthermore, a decision is expected to be taken by The IFAB on the so-called “triple punishment” (Law 12 – Fouls and Misconduct, Sending-off offences) with a proposal from UEFA to be reviewed, as well as the use of electronic performance and tracking systems. Other items on the agenda to be discussed but not decided on include “sin bins” in recreational youth football, Law 12 with regard to handling the ball, stopping of the official match time and the potential use of video replays to support match officials. As part of the deliberations, The IFAB will go over feedback provided by the two new advisory panels, which were established to support the board with greater expertise before decisions are passed. The panels consist of representatives from across the world of football and meet twice a year to discuss topical matters related to the Laws of the Game. Ahead of this year’s AGM, a deadline of 1 December 2014 was given to members of The IFAB or any of FIFA’s member associations to submit suggestions or proposed alterations to the Laws of the Game, requests for experimentation, and any other items for discussion to The IFAB.
Source: FIFA/IFAB
