The International Football Association Board ("IFAB")

The International Football Association Board (“The IFAB”)

The IFAB is an independent association registered and based in Zurich, Switzerland. The IFAB has its own Statutes that identify The IFAB’s objective and organisation, which shall be explained in turn.

The IFAB’s Objective

The IFAB is responsible for and the guardian of the Laws of the Game.

Article 2 of The IFAB Statues identifies The IFAB’s objective as:

‘The IFAB is the universal decision-making body for the Laws of the Game (LoG) of association football. Its objectives are to safeguard, compile and amend the LoG as they apply within the scope of association football as controlled by FIFA and organised by FIFA, the confederations and/or national football associations. This includes ensuring that the LoG are uniformly applied worldwide and monitored accordingly, and that organised football is practised consistently
Only The IFAB may lay down and alter the LoG and each member association of FIFA as well as the confederations, and any leagues, clubs or any other groups directly or indirectly affiliated to them, shall play association football in compliance with the LoG issued by The IFAB (see also FIFA Statutes)’.

Article 7 of the FIFA Statutes also identifies The IFAB’s independence and responsibility for the LoG as explained in The IFAB’s objective:

Each member association shall play association football in compliance with the [LoG] issued by The IFAB. Only The IFAB may lay down and alter the [LoG]’.

Further, article 11 of the Regulations Governing the Application of the FIFA Statutes states:

‘FIFA shall notify its member associations of any amendments and decisions regarding the [LoG] within one month of the ordinary annual meeting of The IFAB’ and that ‘the member associations shall enforce these amendments and decisions no later than 1 July following The IFAB’s annual meeting’.

Organisation

There are seven bodies of The IFAB (see article 6 of the IFAB Statutes):

The General Assembly;
The Board of Directors;
The Technical Subcommittee;
The Football Advisory Panel;
The Technical Advisory Panel;
The Executive Support Office and the Secretary of The IFAB; and
The independent auditors.

Before exploring each of those bodies of The IFAB, it should be noted that The IFAB itself consists of the five founding members: the four British football associations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) and FIFA (see article 4, Membership of The IFAB Statutes). Each member has the right, amongst other things, to take part in the meetings of the General Assembly and execute their corresponding voting rights, to draw up proposals for inclusion in the agenda of the General Assembly and to call for a Special Meeting (see article 4, Rights of The IFAB Statutes). Further, each member has the obligation, amongst other things, to comply fully with the Statutes, regulations and decisions of The IFAB and to act faithfully and loyally in the best interests of The IFAB (see article 4, Obligations of The IFAB Statutes).

The General Assembly

The General Assembly is the supreme legislative authority of The IFAB that consists of a delegation sent by each member of The IFAB (see article 7 of The IFAB Statutes). The General Assembly meets at least once per year in the form of the Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) that takes place in either February or March, and, if requested or stipulated for in The IFAB Statutes, in the form of an extraordinary meeting (known as a Special Meeting) (see article 7 of The IFAB Statutes). The date and place of the AGM is proposed in the AGM prior to it and invitations, together with an agenda and supporting documents, are sent out at least four weeks before the AGM is to take place (see article 7 of The IFAB Statutes).

The responsibilities of the General Assembly include, amongst other things, adopting and amending The IFAB Statutes, supervising the activity of the other bodies of The IFAB, to decide on changes to the LoG as proposed in writing by the Board of Directors, and to appoint or dismiss the members of the Football Advisory Panel and the Technical Advisory Panel as recommended by the Board of Directors (see article 7 of The IFAB Statutes).

When a matter of the General Assembly requires a vote, the four British associations have each one vote and FIFA has four votes, with the head of each delegation present being the individual casting the respective votes (voting by proxy or by letter is not permitted, although votes can take place remotely) (see article 7 of The IFAB Statutes). Further, decisions to be passed at a meeting of the General Assembly require a three-quarters majority of the votes, unless otherwise specified by The IFAB Statutes or other regulations of the IFAB.

As indicated above, decisions passed by the General Assembly are binding on the confederations and FIFA member association, and its decisions come into effect on 1 July following the AGM unless otherwise agreed with FIFA (see article 14 of the IFAB Statutes).

The Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is the executive body of The IFAB that consists of the general secretaries of the four British associations and the FIFA Secretary General (the latter also acting as the chair of the Board of Directors) and it reports to and is accountable to the General Assembly (see article 8 of The IFAB Statutes).

The Board of Directors meet at least once per year in November as part of the ordinary meeting known as the Annual Business Meeting (“ABM”) (see articles 8 and 9 of The IFAB Statutes). Further, extraordinary meetings of the Board of Directors shall be convened at the end of each quarter and/or if required for dealing with business as it arises (see article 8 of The IFAB Statutes). The ABM is also attended by technical experts (from the members of The IFAB or otherwise if invited), the Executive Support Office and other representatives (which may include members of the Football Advisory Panel and the Technical Advisory Panel) (see article 9 of The IFAB Statutes).

The powers and responsibilities of the Board of Directors include defining The IFAB’s mission, strategic direction, policies and values, in particular with regard to the LoG, and overseeing the activity of other bodies of The IFAB. Further powers and responsibilities of the Board of Directors include consulting on proposed changes to the LoG presented by the Executive Support Committee and the Technical Subcommittee, in collaboration with the Football Advisory Panel and the Technical Advisory Panel, to assess the proposed changes to the LoG and decide whether they should be presented to the General Assembly for it to pass judgment, and to appoint or dismiss the Secretary of the IFAB (see article 8 of The IFAB Statutes). The Board of Directors may also delegate specific duties to the Technical Subcommittee, the Football Advisory Panel, the Technical Advisory Panel or the Executive Support Office at any time (see article 8 of The IFAB Statutes).

When a matter of the Board of Directors requires a vote, each member of the Board of Directors has one vote (voting by letter is not normally permitted, although votes can take place remotely) (see articles 8-9 of The IFAB Statutes). Further, decisions of the Board of Directors are passed with a simple majority (i.e. more than 50%) of the votes, unless otherwise specified by The IFAB Statutes.

The Technical Subcommittee (“TSC”)

The TSC consists of technical football experts appointed by the four British Associations, FIFA and The IFAB, and its members are also members of the Technical Advisory Panel. The current membership of the TSC includes the retired referee Pierluigi Collina, widely considered to be the greatest referee of all time.

The TSC reports to the Board of Directors (see article 10 of The IFAB Statutes) and is responsible for considering and evaluating potential changes to the LoG and any related matters, overseeing experiments, tests or pilot studies approved by the Board of Directors and/or the General Assembly, and responding to inquiries relating to the LoG and their interpretation and application (see article 10 of The IFAB Statutes).

Meetings of the TSC are normally chaired by the Secretary of The IFAB and are held at least once per year after the ABM to allow for draft proposed changes to the LoG to be presented at the next General Assembly (see article 10 of The IFAB Statutes).

The composition, structure and powers of the TSC are stipulated in the Organisational Regulations of The IFAB (see article 10 of The IFAB Statutes), which are unavailable from the IFAB’s website and have not been provided following this author’s request sent to the IFAB for the same.

The Football Advisory Panel (“FAP”)

The FAP currently consists of 19 members (and usually consists of no more than 20 members) who are football players, former and current managers, representatives from the International Federation of Professional Footballers’ Association (FIFPro), the World Leagues Forum and club associations, and administrators proposed by the confederations and the IFAB’s members. Members of the FAP are appointed by the General Assembly upon recommendation from the Board of Directors for a term of two years (see article 11 of The IFAB Statutes). The current members of the FAP include the retired Portuguese international footballer Luis Figo and the retired French footballer and manager Arsène Wenger.

The FAP reports to the Board of Directors and is a consultation committee called upon to advise the General Assembly and the Board of Directors or the Executive Support Office on footballing issues to supply ‘a practical and well-founded appraisal of the sporting aspects of intended changes to the LoG’ (see article 11 of The IFAB Statutes).

The composition, structure and powers of the FAP are stipulated in the Organisational Regulations of The IFAB (see article 11 of The IFAB Statutes), which, as noted above, are unavailable from the IFAB’s website and have not been provided following this author’s request sent to the IFAB for the same.

The Technical Advisory Panel (“TAP”)

The TAP currently consists of 13 members, including those members of the TSC as noted above (and usually consists of no more than 14 members). Its membership is made up of leading refereeing experts from the six confederations. Members of the TAP are appointed by the General Assembly upon recommendation from the Board of Directors for a term of two years (see article 12 of The IFAB Statutes).

The TAP reports to the Board of Directors, and is a consultation committee called upon by General Assembly, the Board of Directors and the Executive Support Office to evaluate proposed changes to the LoG, focusing on technical issues and drawing on the refereeing and technical knowledge of the TAP’s members (see article 12 of The IFAB Statutes).

The composition, structure and powers of the TAP are stipulated in the Organisational Regulations of The IFAB (see article 12 of The IFAB Statutes), which, again, are unavailable from the IFAB’s website and have not been provided following this website’s request sent to the IFAB for the same.

The Executive Support Office (“ESO”) and the Secretary of The IFAB

The ESO is The IFAB’s administrative arm and is led by the Secretary of The IFAB, currently Lukas Brud. The ESO supports The IFAB and its representatives in administrative matters and is responsible for, amongst other things, the office management and proper accounting of The IFAB, keeping of minutes of meetings of The IFAB and its bodies, for the organisation of all meetings and consultations of The IFAB, and for being the point of contact for official correspondence sent to The IFAB (see article 13 of The IFAB Statutes).

The Secretary of The IFAB is appointed on the basis of an employment contract with The IFAB. The Secretary reports to the Board of Directors and, amongst other things, ensures that the duties and responsibilities of the ESO are carried out properly and that The IFAB’s mission, strategic direction, policies and values are protected, advanced and executed (see article 14 of The IFAB Statutes).

The specific duties, powers and requirements of the ESO and the Secretary of The IFAB are stipulated in the organisational regulations of The IFAB (see article 13 of The IFAB Statutes), which, as above, are unavailable from the IFAB’s website and have not been provided following this author’s request sent to the IFAB for the same.

18 July 2022

Thomas Horton