2019-04-01 World Soccer

GIANLUIGI

BUFFON

When Paris Saint-

Germain beat Dijon

3-0 in the quarter-

finals of the French

Cup it was the

600th victory of the

41-year-old Italian

goalkeeper’s career.

from the scandal-scarred host votes
for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Up until then this was how it all
worked...
Four weeks before the annual
meeting in February or March, the
world’s associations could submit
proposals for change. These were
then circulated worldwide to canvas
opinion ahead of a vote in the AGM.
Any change in the laws demanded –
and still demands – six votes, so neither
FIFA nor the Brits could force through
their own pet project.
But the Brits and influential powers
within FIFA fell out badly after the World
Cup awards to Russia and Qatar, with
England humiliated in the 2018 ballot
by the FIFA ExCo with only two votes,
despite a high-profile final presentation
featuring Prince William and prime
minister David Cameron.
That exacerbated the fury of the
English-language media which had
already been digging deeply into FIFA
corruption. The sum total prompted
retaliatory accusations of arrogance
and colonialism, and the two vulnerable
targets were the British vice-presidency
of FIFA – negotiated on the home
nations’ return to membership in 1946

• and the half-control of IFAB.
  In March 2012, FIFA president Sepp

Blatter chaired a meeting of his new

strategic committee at which composition

of IFAB was a priority agenda item. IFAB

was duly “invited” by the new FIFA reform

taskforce to consider whether it believed

itself in need of reform.

Bartering continued for almost two

years before Britain conceded the loss of

its FIFA vice-presidency. However, UEFA

agreed that one of its FIFA vice-presidents

should come from the home nations, so

the UK retained its four places on IFAB,

with FIFA taking backroom command

with two new supporting committees: a

football advisory panel and a technical

advisory panel.

Any committee is the same in any

sphere: its members need to justify their

presence at the table. The floodgates

were open – for the good, the bad and

the nonsensical.

So here’s an idea: why not run to

the next World Cup without any change,

without any interference or any so-called

“sensible improvement”, without any

meddling for its own sake? Just wheel out

IFAB every four years to keep the core of

the game relevant.

Stability might not only keep referees

in the game, it might attract more to

come on board, while maintaining the

essence of simplicity – which is football’s

greatest attribute.

IFAB DECISIONS

O 2016: approved live experimentation

with VAR, the pass back at kick-off,

medical assessment on the pitch for

injured players, a trial variation on the

“triple punishment” and experimenting

with allowing a fourth substitute in

extra time.

O 2017: approved a “strategy” for

“fairness and integrity”, allowing

regional competitive modifications

at grassroots (sin bins, returning

subs, etc), and another variation on

punishments for goal-zone fouls.

O 2018: approved the introduction of

VAR, an extra substitute in extra time,

the use of communication equipment

in the technical area and yet another

variation on the denial of a goal-

scoring opportunity.

O 2019: approved a differential

between accidental handball in normal

play compared with in goalscoring

situations, ordering substituted players

to leave the pitch during play at the

nearest point, yellow and red cards for

misconduct by team officials, the ball

not having to leave the penalty area

at goal kicks and defending team

free-kicks in the penalty area, a one-

metre no-go zone round the wall for

attacking players, and the need for a

goalkeeper to have only one foot on

the line at a penalty kick.

ENGLAND

WOMEN

Beat Japan in

the Final of the

SheBelieves

Cup to give

Phil Neville’s

team their

first piece

of silverware.

MANCHESTER

UNITED

Became the first

team in Champions

League history to

overturn a 2-

first-leg defeat at

home by winning

away to go through

to the next round.

PRO

PIACENZA

The Italian

third-tier side

were expelled

after fielding

just seven

players in a

20-0 defeat

against Cuneo.

REAL

MADRID

In seven days

they lost twice

at home to

Barcelona and

were knocked

out of the

Champions

League by Ajax.

CENTRAL

COAST

MARINERS

Eleven months

after losing 8-

to Newcastle Jets,

the A-League side

lost to Wellington

Phoenix by the

same score.

Decision...

using VAR

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