The International Football Association Board Münstergasse 9 8001 Zürich Switzerland T: +41 (0)44 245 1886 theifab.com

1/19

Minutes 132nd Annual General Meeting

of The International Football Association Board

The International Football Association Board Münstergasse 9 8001 Zürich Switzerland T: +41 (0)44 245 1886 theifab.com

2/19

Attendees ___ attended by conference call FIFA Gianni Infantino (President) David Chung (Vice President) Victor Montagliani (Vice President) Ramon Jesurun (Council Member) Fatma Samoura (Secretary General) Zvonimir Boban (Deputy General Secretary) Pierluigi Collina (Referee Committee Chairman) Marco van Basten (Chief Officer Technical Development) Massimo Busacca (Head of Refereeing) Johannes Holzmüller (Head of Football Technology Innovation) Mattias Grafström (Chief of President`s Office) The IFAB Lukas Brud (Secretary) David Elleray (Technical Director) Scottish FA Alan McRae (President) Rod Petrie (Vice President) Ian Maxwell (Main Board Member) Andrew McKinlay (Chief Executive interim)

FA of Wales David Griffiths (President) David Jones (Vice President) Kieran O`Connor (Vice President) Jonathan Ford (Chief Executive) Ray Ellingham (Referees Manager) The FA Greg Clarke (Chairman) Martin Glenn (Chief Executive) Neale Barry (Head of Refereeing) Louise Fyans (Head of Communication) Other attendees Boudien Broekhuis (The IFAB) Dirk Schlemmer (The IFAB) Tom Gorissen (FIFA) Naoise King (FIFA) Giovanni Marti (FIFA) Giancarlo Dapoto (FIFA) Fabrice Jouhaud (FIFA) KU Leuven Werner Helsen Thibaud Nijssen

John Fleming (Head of Referee Operations) Jochim Spitz Irish FA David Martin (President) Jack Grundie (First Deputy President) Crawford Wilson (Second Deputy President) Patrick Nelson (Chief Executive) William Campbell (Head of CEO office)

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I./II./III. Welcome,chairman’sremarks,androllcallThePresidentofFIFA,GianniInfantino(GI)openedthemeetingbywelcomingeveryonetoHomeofFIFAinZurich.HeemphasisedtheimportanceoftheAnnualGeneralMeeting(AGM)ofTheIFABwhoseoutcomealwayshasadirectimpactonbillionsofpeoplearoundtheworldwhoareplayingorwatchingfootballandcaringaboutthegame.Itis,therefore,theresponsibilityoftheIFABmemberstoencourageandincreaseparticipationbytakingtherightdecisionsforfootball.GIthankedeveryoneforattendingthisimportantmeetingandreflectedonhisfirstweekinofficewiththe2016IFABAGMandthestartoftheVARexperiment.HestressedthattherequestsforvideoassistanceforrefereescamefromallovertheworldandthateveryoneshouldrealisetheimportanceofthedecisiontobetakenaboutVideoAssistantReferees(VAR).TheSecretaryofTheIFAB,LukasBrud(LB),introducedeveryonepresentandinformedthemeetingthat,becauseoftraveldisruption,severaldelegationmemberswouldjoinviaconferencecall.IV. ApprovaloftheAgenda

Themembersunanimouslyapprovedtheagendaofthemeeting.V. ApprovaloftheminutesofthelastmeetingTheminutesofthepreviousAGMon3March2017wereunanimouslyapproved.VI. Agendacontainingtheitemstobediscussedandenclosures1. LawsoftheGame2017/18TheTechnicalDirectorofTheIFAB,DavidElleray(DE),statedthattheoverallfeedbackonthemajorLawrevisionhasbeenverypositive.ThegreaterflexibilitygiventonationalFAsintheModificationssection,forexamplethenumberofsubstitutionsandtheintroductionoftemporarydismissals(‘sinbins’)atlowerlevelshasbeenespeciallywelcomed.DEstatedthatworkonthetranslationswillcontinuewithinputfromnationalFAsandrefereeexperts.Nocommentsfrommembers.

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2. LawsoftheGame2018/19a)Law3–AdditionalsubstituteinextratimeLBremindedmembersthatTheIFAB2016AGMapprovedatwo-yearexperimentforteamstohavetheoptiontousea4thsubstitute(atthe2017AGMthischangedfrom‘4th’to‘additional’substitutetoallowtestinginlowerlevelcompetitions)whenamatchgoestoextratime,whetherornottheteamhasalreadyusedalltheirpermittedsubstitutes.Themainreasonsfortheoptionaretoincreasethechancesofwinningamatchin‘normal’playingtimeandtoreducepotentialinjuriesduetofatigue.LBstatedthattheIFABAdvisoryPanelssupportedtheexperimentand,attheirlastmeeting,agreedthattheoptionofanadditionalsubstituteinextratimewasbeneficialandpositiveforthewelfareandsafetyofplayers,andenhancedtheattractiveness/qualityofthegamewithmoregoalsbeingscoredandmoreexcitement.Interestintheexperimentswasveryhighwithcompetitionsfromacrosstheworldtakingpart.Inapprox.80%ofmatchesthatwenttoextratime,theadditionalsubstitutewasused,eitherfortacticalreasonsorplayerwelfare.Intheremaining20%,wheretheadditionalsubstitutewasnotused,coachessaidthattheyalreadyhadthebestperformingteamonthefield.Coachesratedtheimpactofanoptionaladditionalsubstituteontheirtacticsassignificant,givingthemabetterchancetocontrolthegame.Themedicalstaffappreciatedtheadditionalsubstituteoptiontoassistplayerwelfare.Overall,feedbackfromparticipantswasverypositive(80%)andtheintroductionofanadditionalsubstitutewouldbewelcomed.GIthankedeveryoneinvolvedintherunningoftheexperiment.Nocommentsfrommembers.VOTEOntheapprovalofadditionalsubstitutesinextratime,asacompetitionoptionand,asaconsequence,ontherequiredLawchange(Law3–ThePlayers:additionalsubstituteinextratime).Allmembersunanimouslyapproved.

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b)Law4–ThePlayers`Equipmenti.ElectronicandcommunicationequipmentinthetechnicalareaDEsummarisedthatadvancesintechnologyriskhavingaLawwhichdoesnotreflectthemodernworldandwhichcannotbeenforcedasitisnowalmostimpossibletopreventcoachesreceivinginformationinthetechnicalarea.However,itisveryimportantforfairness,andespeciallyintegrity,thatplayerscannotcommunicate(orbecontacted)electronically.Astheuseofcommunicationequipmentbyteamofficialsforplayerwelfareisimportant,theLawwasamendedin2017topermitelectroniccommunicationbyteamofficialswhereitdirectlyrelatestoplayerwelfareorsafety.DEstatedthat,asagreedatthe2016AGM,consultationhadbeenundertakenwithIFAB’sFootballandTechnicalAdvisoryPanelsandotherstakeholders,includingsomenationalFAs,toconsiderwhatinformationmaybecommunicatedto/fromthetechnicalareaandwhatissuesmayarise.Theconsultationhasshownthatthereiswidespreadagreement(albeitsomewhatreluctant)thattherealisticapproachistomovethefocustoresultingbehaviourratherthanprevention.Itwasagreedthatpermittedequipmentshouldbelimitedtosmallmobile/handhelddevices(e.g.microphone,headphones,ear-piece,mobile/smartphone,smartwatch,tablet,laptop)andthatinappropriatebehaviouroruseofnon-permittedequipmentshouldresultindismissalfromthetechnicalarea.Aquestionwasaskedabouttheexactcriteriatodefineasmalldevice,sincethiscouldleadtomanydifferentinterpretations.DErespondedthewordingintheLawsoftheGamewouldstipulatethatpermitteddeviceswouldhavetobesmallandhandheld;thewordingwillstatethatmisusewillbesanctioned.DEalsostatedthattheprinciplesandpracticalitiesbehindtheLawchangeshouldbeconsideredbydisciplinarybodiesi.e.whenateamofficialisdismissedorbannedfromthetechnicalarea,itisimpracticaltorequirethattheofficialcannotbeincontactwiththetechnicalarea.VOTEOntheapprovaloftheuseofsmall/mobileelectronicandcommunicationequipmentinthetechnicalareaforplayerwelfareandcoaching/tacticaluseand,asaconsequence,ontherequiredLawchange(Law4–ThePlayers’Equipment).Allmembersunanimouslyapproved.

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b)Law4–ThePlayers`Equipmentii.Electronicperformanceandtrackingsystems(EPTS)TheFIFAHeadofFootballTechnologyInnovation,JohannesHolzmüller(JH),providedanupdateonthedevelopmentoftheFIFAQualityProgramme.Hesaidthatthe2015AGMapprovedtheuseofEPTSforaninitialtwo-yearperiod,subjecttotheagreementofthenationalassociation/competitionorganiserconcerned,takingintoaccounttheprinciplesthatdevicesmustnotposeanydangertotheplayersand/ormatchofficialsandthatinformationanddatatransmittedfromthedevices/systemswasnotpermittedtobereceivedorusedinthetechnicalareaduringthematch.Atthe2017AGM,theminimumsafetystandard(IMS)forwearabledeviceswasapprovedandincludedintheLawsoftheGame2017/18.FIFAhasbeenworkingonaqualityprogrammetocategoriseEPTSdevices,toregulatetheiruseandtoensurethevalidityandreliabilityofthecollecteddata.Thisprocessison-goingwithanexpertgroupandanindependenttestinginstituteandwillbereleasedshortly.Asfrom1June2018(LawsoftheGame2018/19),onlylicensedEPTSdeviceswillbeallowedincompetitivefootballmatches;datacanbereceivedfromsuchdevicesinthetechnicalareaduringthematch.JHcontinuedthatasafinalstepoftheEPTSdevelopmentprocess,aprofessionalstandardforreliabilityandaccuracyofpositionaldataisbeingimplementedduring2018tosupportcompetitionorganiserswiththeirintroductionanduseofEPTS.Inthecomingyears,FIFAandTheIFABwillcontinueresearchintowhethertheincreasinguseofsuchdevicesmayhaveamedicalbenefit(injuryprevention)orwillbringanyunintendedconsequences.Nocommentsfrommembers.VOTEOntheapprovalofamendedwordinginLaw4,toreflecttheEPTSdevelopment.Allmembersunanimouslyapproved.

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c)Law12–FoulsandMisconduct:DOGSOandSPADEexplainedthatatthe2016AGM,TheIFABapprovedatwoyearglobalexperimentthata‘denialofanobviousgoal-scoringopportunity’(DOGSO)offenceinthepenaltyareawhichwasanattempttoplaytheballwouldbesanctionedbyacaution(yellowcard)andnotasending-off(redcard);thenewwordingwasincludedintheLawsoftheGame2016/17.Followingthesamephilosophy,TheIFABapprovedatthe2017AGMthata‘stoppingapromisingattack’(SPA)offenceinthepenaltyarea,whichwasanattempttoplaytoball,wouldnolongerbeacaution(yellowcard).ThefeedbackforbothchangeshasbeenoverwhelminglypositiveandTheIFABhasnotreceivedasinglecomplaint;notevenfromthepublic.Nocommentsfrommembers.VOTEOntheconfirmationoftherevisedwordingfor‘denyinganobviousgoal-scoringopportunity(DOGSO)’and‘stoppingapromisingattack(SPA)’.Allmembersunanimouslyapproved.

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d)Summaryandconfirmationofclarificationsannouncedsincethe131stAGMDEinformedmembersoftheLawclarificationsandguidelineswhichhadbeenapprovedsincethe2017AGMandwerecommunicatedinIFABCircular11,dated25September2017.Themainclarificationsrelatedto:• substitutionsinyouthfootball(ModificationstotheLawsoftheGame)• slogans,statements,imagesandadvertising(Law4–ThePlayers’Equipment)• updateddefinitionoffirstpointofcontactof‘playortouch’foroffsidebecauseoftheuse

ofsuperslow-motionbyVARs(Law11–Offside)• anoffenceagainstateam-mateorateamsubstitute/teamofficialoffthefieldofplay(Law

12–FoulsandMisconduct)• adefinitionof‘kick’(mainlyfortranslationpurpose)i.e.balliskickedwiththeankleor

below,withanybodypartabovetheballisplayed(Glossary).Nocommentsfrommembers.VOTEToconfirmLawclarificationsalreadyannouncedinCircular11.Allmembersunanimouslyapproved.

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e)AdditionalamendmentsandclarificationsDEinformedmembersoftheadditionalclarificationsfor2018-19,whichhadbeenapprovedbytheTechnicalSubcommitteeofTheIFABanddiscussedbytheTechnical-andFootballAdvisoryPanels(TAPandFAP)ofTheIFAB.DEhighlightedfourimportantclarifications:• limitingthenumberofsubstitutesthatcanbenamedinafriendlyinternationalmatchto

12(forcontrolandseating)tobeinlinewithcompetitiveinternationalmatches• clearlystatingintheLawsthatreferees(andothermatchofficials)maynotwearcameras

duringmatchesforvariousreasons,includingdisputesoverownershipofthefootage• thelengthofthe‘drinksbreak’tobelimitedtooneminutetoavoid(mis)usingthetime

foracommercialortacticalbreaks(thisdoesnotapplytomedical‘cooling’breaks)• bitinghasbeenaddedasadirectfree-kickandsending-offoffence,becausesome

disciplinary/legaldepartmentshavenotacceptedbitingasaformofviolentconduct.Nocommentsfrommembers.VOTEOntheapprovaloftheadditionalamendmentsandclarificationsmentionedandlistedinitemsummary2.e.Allmembersunanimouslyapproved.

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3. VideoAssistantReferees(VARs)a)ExperimentsummaryAftershowingavideoontheVARexperimentovertwoyears,LBremindedmembersthatinMarch2016theAGMapprovedatwo-yearglobalexperimentwithVARs.Sincethen,thenumberofparticipantsandinterestedpartieshasgrownsteadilyfromthe6FAs/competitionsinitiallyinterestedinimplementingVARsinJune2016tomorethan40atthestartof2018.Inthefirstexperimentphasetheprotocolwastrialledandrefinedandthiswasfollowedbyasecondphaseofalargenumberof‘live’testsindifferentcompetitions,oncetherequiredrefereetraining/educationandstadiumtestshadbeenfulfilled.TheworkofnationalFAsandcompetitionshasbeenfundamentalforwhathasbeenasuccessfulandmeaningfulexperiment,eventhoughtheworkloadhasbeenmuchgreaterthanoriginallyanticipated,especiallyaseachcountryhasneededtailor-madesolutionstobedevelopedandcoordinatedonanalmostweeklybasis.ThemainchallengesforparticipantswereeffectiveVAR/refereeeducation,projectmanagementandplanning,technologyandcommunication,existingtechnicalinfrastructureandfinancialresources.On-goingsupportforcurrentandnewVARparticipantswillcontinuetobeessentialtoensurethattheuseofVARsiseffective,consistentandprofessional,soTheIFABandFIFAaredevelopingasupportandapprovalstructuretobeputinplacealmostimmediately,althoughFIFA’sinvolvementwillnecessarilyberestricteduntilaftertheFIFAWorldCupinRussia2018.DEfocusedonthekeylearningsfromthetrials.Hesaidthatmany‘successful’reviewsareforsituationswhicharenot‘bad’mistakesbutsituationswherethereferee/assistantcouldnotseetheincidentclearlyorthedecision/judgmentwasextremelydifficult.OverallreactiontoVARshasbeenthatplayersgenerallyacceptthefinaldecisionwhenreplayshavebeenused,butpreferon-fieldreviewsifamajordecision(e.g.penaltykick)ischanged.Somewantmoredecisionsincluded;somewantfewerincludede.g.onlyfactual.Theprocesses/protocolsarenotyetfullyunderstood,butoncepeoplearefamiliarwithhowthesystemoperatesthegeneralreactionispositive.DEemphasisedthattheuseofVARhasalreadydemonstratedthepotentialtoimproveplayerbehaviourandtacklingmatchmanipulation.SomevideofootagewasshowntoillustratethebenefitsofVARandwhathasbeenlearned.DEexplainedthat,withmorepractice,theunderstandingofwhatcanandcannotbereviewedincreases,asdoestheidentificationof‘clearandobviouserrors’andthespeedofthereviewprocess.Thetrialsalsoemphasisedthatrefereesmustbeverywelltrainedaboutwhentousetheon-fieldreview(OFR)aswellastoensurethat‘everything’ischecked/reviewedi.e.thatthereviewofacomplexincidentdoesnotmisssomethingcrucial.JHexplainedtheVARtechnologyandthemainchallengesfacedduringtheexperimentalphase.Followingthepracticalexperiencesandfeedback,improvementshavebeenmadetoseparatetherefereecommunicationsystemfromtheVARsystem.Furthermore,afterextensivetesting,

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thebesttechnologyprovidersforthecalibratedvirtualoffsidelinehavebeenidentifiedandrecommendationscanbemadeconfidently.Finally,thedifferentsolutionsforproperbackupsolutionswerepresentedtoallparticipatingcompetitions.Overthelastmonths,anautomaticVARinformationsystemwasdevelopedtokeepspectatorsinvolvedandawareofwhatishappening,toimprovetransparencyandaccuracy.LBsummarisedthatallcomponents,training,technology,aswellascommunicationhavetoworkbutasthesecomponentsarenotatthesamelevelinallfootballenvironments,eachcompetitionusingVARswillfacedifferentchallenges,requiringtailor-madesolutions.CrucialVARelementsareprojectmanagement(structure,planning,scope,riskmanagement),theeducationof‘on-fieldmatchofficials’,‘videomatchofficials’and‘otherVARofficials’,properinternalandexternalcommunication(includingmanagingexpectations),selectionoftherighttechnologyprovider,connectiontobroadcasters,financialplanningandbudgeting,andlegalpreparations.LBconcludedthatassistingspectatorstounderstandwhatishappeningwhenthegameisdelayedfora‘check’ora‘review’iscrucial.TheFIFARefereeCommitteeChairman,PierluigiCollina(PC),reportedonVARuseinseveralFIFAcompetitions.HenotedthatoverallfeedbackfromtherefereesandVARshasbeenpositive.Resultsshowedthatwithmorepracticeandexperience,theinvolvementoftheVARhasimproved.TheFIFADirectorofRefereeing,MassimoBusacca(MB),saidthatifVARareapprovedandimplementedduringtheFIFAWorldCupinRussia,FIFAwoulduseVARswhohavesignificantexperiencefromlivecompetitions.

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b)ResearchresultsbyKULeuvenProfessorWernerHelsen(WH)providedtheacademicanalysisoftheresultsofthetwo-yearVARexperiment.HeexplainedthatthedatawerecollectedthroughTheIFAB’sspecificallydesignedVARplatform.Projectmanagersfromeachcompetition/FAuploadedclipsofVARincidentsandrelatedinformation/dataandeachcountrywascarefullymonitoredthroughouttheexperiment(start-upmeeting,protocolexplanation,follow-up,closecontactwithprojectmanagers).Althoughover2000matcheshadusedVARs,butonlythe972toplevelcompetitivematcheswereanalysedastheyreflectedthemostrealisticVARuse.Acrossallreviewcategories(penalty/nopenalty,goal/nogoal,directredcardandmistakenidentity),theresultsclearlyshowthatwhentheVARisused,theaccuracyofthefinaldecision(98.8%)issignificantlyhigherthantheaccuracyoftheinitialdecision(93.0%).AlogisticregressionanalysisconcludedthatthereisaclearbenefitandincreaseinaccuracyfollowingtheVAR’sinvolvement.Intotal,307initialdecisionswere‘clearandobviouserrors’(i.e.,approx.1‘clearandobviouserror’per3matches)andtheVARreducedthisnumberto52remaining‘clearandobviouserrors’intotal(i.e.,reducingtheincidencetoapprox.1‘clearandobviouserror’per19matches).Theseremainingerrorsweremainly‘humanerrors’(44decision-makingerrors,4perceptualerrorsand1errorduetobadcommunication).Only3errorswererelatedtotechnology(lackofvirtualoffsideline).Anonlinequestionnairehadbeencompletedbyreferees(incl.ARs,VARsandAVARs),playersandcoachestoobtaintheiropinionsabouttheVARexperiment.ThisquestionnaireconsistedofanumberofrelativelyeasyandstraightforwardstatementswithaLikertscalerating(rangingfromstronglydisagreetostronglyagree).RefereesappeartobefarmorepositiveabouttheVARexperimentcomparedtoplayers/coaches.Coachesand,especially,playersaremoresceptical.ThiscanbebecauseofalackofknowledgeoftheVARconcept(maximumbenefit-minimuminterference)andrestrictions,orbecauseofdifficultiesduringtheearlymatcheswithVAR.ProfessorHelsenalsoreportedontheimpactofVARuseonthelengthofthegame.Anon-fieldreviewnecessarilytakeslongerthanaVARonlyreviewbutthemediantimelostforreviewswas55seconds.Toputthisincontext,theinvolvementoftheVARonlyresultsinarelativelyminortimelosscomparedtootherincidentsthatresultinmuchmoretimelosse.g.freekicks,throw-ins,andgoalkicks.Moreover,therefereemakesallowanceforVARtime‘lost’attheendofthehalfinwhichthetimewas‘lost’.GIthankedProfessorHelsenandthewholeKULeuventeamfortheirthoroughanalysisoftheVARexperimentresultswhichwouldenableTheIFABAGMtomakeadecisionbasedonobjectivefactsandfiguresandnotonsubjectivefeelingsandemotions.

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c)DiscussionanddecisionGIopenedthetopicfordiscussion.FIFAVicePresidentandchairmanoftheStakeholdersCommittee,VictorMontagliani,reportedpositivefeedbacktotheVARexperiment,theprogressmade,andtheimpactonthegame.TheFAaskedabouttheopinionoffanswhoseemedconcernedabouttheimpactofVARsonthedynamicflowofthegame.JHrespondedthatthoroughsurveyshadbeenconductedbyNielsenSportsduringtheexperimentamongstapprox.15`000fansin25topfootballmarketsandovertimetheresultswerestableandpositivewithapprox.80%infavouroftheuseofVAR.SocialmediamonitoringduringtheFIFAtournamentsthatusedVARsshowedthatcommentsweremainlyneutral,althoughinmatcheswhenVARdecisionsweretakenthereweresomenegativecommentsrelatedtonotknowingwhatwashappening.TheFAofWales(FAW)statedthatcommunicatingtothespectatorsisanareaforimprovement.LBacknowledgedthatthecommunicationinfrastructurehastobeimprovedandhementionedthatitwouldbetheresponsibilityofthecompetitiontohavetherightcommunicationframeworktoinvolve/informalltheirstakeholdersabouttheVARprocess.InthecontextofsomenegativeperceptionofmediaandfansaboutVARsandtheirimpactontheflowofthegame,DEcommentedthatitshouldnotbeforgottenthattheuseofVARsofarhasbeenexperimental.Heremindedeveryonethattheaimwasnever‘nointerference’asconsultingareplayinevitablytakessometime;theaimis‘minimuminterference’,whichhasbeenachievedanditisinthiscontext(andtheincreasedaccuracyofdecision-making)thatthetime‘lost’impactshouldbeconsidered.TheFAWmentionedthat,basedonarecentmatchinEngland,thespeedofthedecision-makingwithVARhastoimprove.GIandPCemphasisedthatconclusionsshouldbedrawnfromalldataavailableandnotjustonecountry.TheFAagreedthatEnglandhashadsomenegativeexperiencesbuttheyareatanearlystageofitsuse.TheFAaffirmedthattheVARdecisionshouldbebasedontheglobalresultsandnotonafewmatchesinonecountry.TheScottishFA(SFA)andIrishFA(IFA)agreed.VOTEOntheapprovalofVARsinfootballasacompetitionoption(withimmediateeffect)andVARprinciples,proceduresandpracticalitiesAllmembersunanimouslyapproved.

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d)Nextstepsi.VAR-relatedchangestotheLawsoftheGameDEstatedthattheVARprotocol,asfaraspossible,conformstotheprinciplesandphilosophyoftheLawsoftheGameandtheuseofVARswillonlybepermittedwherethematchorcompetitionorganiserhasfulfilledalltheVARprotocolandimplementationrequirements(assetoutintheVARHandbook)andhasreceivedwrittenpermissionfromTheIFABandFIFA.TheVARprotocolprinciples,practicalities,andprocedureswillcontinuetobethebasisforVARimplementationinallcompetitionsandthewholeprotocolwillbeincorporatedintotheLawsoftheGameasaseparatesection.Inaddition,theuseofVARsrequiressomereferencesintheLaws,butthesehavebeenkepttoaminimum.DEemphasisedthat,evenwiththeintroductionofVARsintotheLaws,therefereeremainsthesoledecision-makerandthisshouldbecommunicatedstronglytopreventanymisunderstandingi.e.theVARdoesnotmakeanydecisions;theVARsimplyassiststherefereeinthesamewaythattheassistantreferee,fourthofficialsetcassisttherefereewhoistheonly(andfinal)decision-maker.

Nocommentsfrommembers.

VOTEOntheapprovalofprotocolandVAR-relatedchangestotheLawsoftheGamelistedinitemsummary3.d.i.Allmembersunanimouslyapproved.

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d)Nextstepsii.Post-experimentVARProtocol&ImplementationHandbookLBstatedthatthebasisfortheVARexperimentwastheVARprotocolandtheimplementationhandbookwhichcontainstheregulationsandadviceforVARapplicationandimplementationandwhichhas,effectively,becomea'VARextension’oftheLawsoftheGame.Thisdocumenthasbeencontinuallyupdatedandrefined,basedonpracticalexperienceandparticipants’feedback,buttheoriginalfundamentalassumptionsandprincipleshavenotbeenchangedastherehavebeennorequestsforthemtochange.Participants,andinfactallfootballstakeholdersandfootballitself,seemhappywiththemainVARprinciplesasapprovedbyIFABin2016.ThenewVARhandbookwillcontainallnecessaryinformationforasuccessfulimplementationofVARsinacompetition,includingtheVARprotocol,selectionandqualificationofmatchofficials,technologyinfrastructureandqualityprogramme,projectmanagementandimplementation,andcommunication.Itwillalsocontaindetailsofthemandatoryapprovalprocess.

Nocommentsfrommembers.

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d)Nextstepsiii.ImplementationAssistanceandApprovalProgrammeLBexplainedtheproposalforaVARImplementationAssistance&AssessmentProgramme(IAAP).GiventhattheuseofVARsisaconsiderableandcomplexundertaking,itisimportantthatanapprovalprocessismaintainedfor‘new’participantsbutalso,inalessdemandingway,a‘re-approvalprocessforexistingparticipants.ThisprocesswillbecrucialtoensuringconsistentandcorrectworldwideuseofVARs,aswellashelping‘new'competitionsunderstandthechallengestheywillfaceandthesupportthatisavailablefromTheIFABandFIFA.TheprocesswillinitiallyincludeusingtheexistingdigitalplatformforallVAR-relatedinformationandwhichparticipantscanusetoreceivespecificadviceandfeedback.Anewe-learningtrainingenvironmentwillbedevelopedandimplementedtoprovideamoreefficientwayoftrainingandeducatingallpeopleinvolvedintheVARoperation.Thefirstdiscussionsarecurrentlybeingheldwithpotentialproviderstofindtheoptimalsolution.LBstatedthataswellaseverypersoninvolvedintheVARoperationbeingassessedandapproved,technologyproviderswillbecategorisedandlicensedbyFIFA–thesystemswillhavetobelicensedandthestadiumswillhavetobetestedandcertified.Thewholepreparation,implementationandapprovalprocessforVARusewilltakeconsiderabletimeandcannotbeachievedovernight.Moreover,afterapprovingVARuse,TheIFABwillcontinue,asintheexperimentalphase,withclosemonitoringandreassessment.TheFAcautionedeveryonetobereadyforcompetitionswantingtoimplementVARimmediately/tooquicklyandthusarigorousandformalaccreditationandapprovalprocesstocontrolqualitywillbeofhighimportance.PCstronglyagreedandsaidthatwithoutstrictlymonitoringandassessingtherefereeandVARperformances,thereputationoftheVARsystemcouldbedamaged.LBwasaskedaboutthelikelynumberofrequeststouseVARsandheannouncedthatTheIFAB,togetherwithFIFA,willhostaVARworkshopattheendofMarchtoestablishtheglobalinterestandtherelatedprojectresourcesrequirements.FormanycompetitionsthisworkshopwillbetheirfirststepinunderstandingthecomplexitiesoftheVARimplementationandapprovalprocess.VOTEOntheapprovalofthenextsteps.Allmembersunanimouslyapproved.

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4. PlayFair!Initiativea)Summary,initialfeedback,andearlytestingDEbrieflyrecappedthatatTheIFABBoardofDirectorshadrequestedaframeworkforfutureLawchangesandthe2017AGM,TheIFAB,inclosepartnershipwithFIFA,hadagreedtotheplayfair!initiativewhichcomplementsandenhancesFIFA’s‘fairplay’programmesothatideastodevelopthegamethroughitsLawsreflect“whatfootballwants”.Topicsareinthreemainareas:improvingplayerbehaviourandincreasingrespect,increasingplayingtime,andincreasingfairnessandattractiveness.DEsaidthatstakeholderfeedback(IFABAdvisoryPanels,someconfederationsandnationalFAs,membersoftheWorldLeagueForumetc.)showedsupportfortheplayfair!initiativeandfeedbackhasbeencomplementaryofTheIFABlisteningtothefootballcommunityandconsultingstakeholders.Sometopicswhichwereinitiallyapprovedforimmediatetestinghavereceivedalotofsupportandwerewelcomed(e.g.redandyellowcardsforteamofficials)orhaveconfirmedthevalidityoftheoriginalidea/assumption.b)NextstepsOnthebasisofdiscussionsbytheAdvisoryPanelsandfeedbackfromotherimportantstakeholders,theABMagreedtodividethetopicsintofourgroups:• notestingrequired/possibleimmediateimplementation(enhancedroleofthecaptain,

stricterrefereeingformobbing,time-wasting,6secondsbythegoalkeeper)• readyforextensivetesting(redandyellowcardsforteamofficials,goalkick/defensive

freekick-defendingteammayplaytheballwithintheirpenaltyarea,ABBAorderforkicksfromthepenaltymark,substitutedplayertoleaveatnearestboundaryline)

• furtherdiscussionneeded(offside–changedefinitionofoffsideposition;onlyconsiderthe‘trunk’partofthebody,handball–definition,offencebygoalkeeper,RCforscoringagoalwiththehands,stoppingagoalwiththehands,penaltykick–sameprocedureasakickfromthepenaltymark,pre-matchhandshakebetweencoachesandreferee)

• notundercurrentconsideration(half-timeandfull-timewhistleonlywhenplayhasstopped,stadiumclock–stop-startincoordinationwithreferee’swatch,effectivetime,redcardforsubstitute–loseonesubstitution,self-passatafreekick,ballcanbemovingatgoalkick,goalkicktobetakenfromthesideitleftthefieldofplay).

Memberswereaskedtoapprovethetopicgroups,especiallythoseformoreextensivetesting.Nocommentsfrommembers.VOTEOntheapprovalofcategoriesandfurthertestingin2018/19.Allmembersunanimouslyapproved.

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VII. Financialandbusinessmatters5. Financialmattersa)AuditReport2016LBannouncedthatthe2016auditreportwascompletedon4December2017andmustthereforebeapprovedretrospectively.Thenegativeresult(ofCHF95’k)wasduetoadditionalcostsresultingfromtheVARexperiment,butwillbecoveredbythe2017budget.Otherwise,theoveralloperationalexpensesofTheIFABwouldhavebeenwithintheavailablebudgetofCHF1.2m.VOTEOntheapprovalofAuditreport2016.Allmembersunanimouslyapproved.b)Expenditure2017andaudittimelineLBstatedthattheAuditfor2017willbeperformedinQ2/2018andthereportwillbesharedbypostanditwillrequirewrittenapprovalbeforeitcanbepublished.HeaddedthattheoperationalexpenditureofTheIFABin2017remainedwithinbudget.c)Budget2018LBstatedthattheoperationalbudgetfor2018isCHF1.2m,asin2015-2017.DependingontheextentoftheVARprojectandTheIFAB’sinvolvement,thebudgetmaynotbesufficientbutexpenditurerelatedtotheVARprojectistobeconsideredseparately,asinthepreviousyears.VOTEOntheapprovaloftheBudgetfor2018.Allmembersunanimouslyapproved.

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VIII. AnyotherbusinessNocommentsfrommembers.IX. NextmeetingsGIstatedthatthenextAGMwillbehostedbytheSFAandhandedovertotheirPresident.SFAPresident,AlanMcRae,announcedthatthe133rdAGMwilltakeplaceonFriday1andSaturday2March2019inScotland,theexactvenuewillbeconfirmedshortly.GIthankedTheIFABfortheirexcellentpreparationworkforthemeetingandthankedeveryoneforattendingthishistoric132ndAnnualGeneralMeetingofTheIFABandclosedthemeeting.---------------------------------------LukasBrudSecretaryofTheIFAB,March2018