LONDON: Football and video technology was the main focus of the annual business meeting of football law-making International Board in London.

The latest addition to the game’s alphabet soup is Football Video Support (FVS), a cost-effective alternative to video assistant referees. Trials of this and other options aimed at reducing time-wasting and improving behaviour, follow up on the recent meeting of IFAB’s Football & Technical Advisory Panels.

Members were updated on the progress made with two trials, the first addressing goalkeepers holding the ball for too long and the second where only the captain being able to interact with the referee in specific situations so as to protect match officials, including the additional guidelines issued in July 2024.

The ABM emphasised the importance of competition organisers, players and officials working collaboratively to adhere to these guidelines.

Presentations were also given on other topics, including:
1, trials involving public announcements after lengthy VAR checks and VAR reviews;
2, developments in relation to semi-automated offside technology, and
3, exploration of the use of referee body cameras by FIFA.

FIFA also updated the ABM on its ‘Suspect and Protect’ concussion campaign, which has been adopted by a growing number of FAs.

More than half of the 211 FIFA Member Associations have downloaded the toolkits to promote awareness and education, medical briefings have been conducted or scheduled across all confederations, while players received effective training during the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Dominican Republic 2024™.

The ABM determines the agenda items for IFAB’s annual meeting March 1 in Belfast.

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