The International Football Association Board (IFAB) held its annual meeting in the British capital, London, to discuss regulatory developments in football.
The main item on the agenda was the Video Assist System (FVS), envisaged as a more cost-effective alternative to Video Assisted Refereeing (VAR) technology. FIFA has decided to extend the trial period for this system in order to assess its effectiveness on a global scale.
Chaired by Patrick Nelson, Chief Executive of the Football Association of Ireland, the meeting also discussed initiatives to reduce match time wastage and improve participant behavior, building on proposals made during of previous meetings of the IFAB technical and football advisory committees.
The members present were informed of the progress made in two pilot projects: the first concerns goalkeepers who keep the ball too long, while the second proposes that only the captain can approach the referee in certain situations, in order to protect the officials.
The meeting also reviewed additional guidelines issued in July 2024 and highlighted the importance of collaboration between competition organizers, players and referees for their rigorous application.
Other topics covered included specific announcements to the public after prolonged decisions made via VAR, advances in the use of semi-automated technology to detect offside, and studies into integration of cameras worn by referees.
FIFA also presented its concussion awareness campaign entitled “Recognize and Protect Initiative”. More than half of the 211 member federations have adopted the tools dedicated to this campaign, and medical training sessions have been organized by all the confederations. Players at the 2024 U17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic also received training on the subject.
Finally, the meeting set priorities for the agenda of the IFAB Annual General Meeting, scheduled for Saturday March 1, 2025 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
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