Laws of the Game & video referee

The Laws of the Game are the rules governing a game of association football. They are written and maintained by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).

The current Laws of the Game (LOTG) consist of 17 individual laws:
• Law 1: The Field of Play
• Law 2: The Ball
• Law 3: The Number of Players
• Law 4: The Players' Equipment
• Law 5: The Referee
• Law 6: The Assistant Referees
• Law 7: The Duration of the Match
• Law 8: The Start and Restart of Play
• Law 9: The Ball In and Out of Play
• Law 10: The Method of Scoring
• Law 11: Offside
• Law 12: Fouls and Misconduct
• Law 13: Free Kicks
• Law 14: The Penalty Kick
• Law 15: The Throw-In
• Law 16: The Goal Kick
• Law 17: Corner kick

One major problem of the game today is refereeing. Several contestable and unfair decisions are frequently taken by referees during football matches. We are going to present what are missions and duties of referees, and how it is possible to assist them in order to take good decision.

Laws concerning referees

LAW 5 – THE REFEREE

• takes action against team officials who fail to conduct themselves in a responsible manner and may, at his discretion, expel them from the field of play and its immediate surrounds
• Acts on the advice of assistant referees regarding incidents that he has not seen
• ensures that no unauthorized persons enter the field of play
• restarts the match after it has been stopped
• provides the appropriate authorities with a match report, which includes information on any disciplinary action taken against players, and/or team officials and any other incidents that occurred before, during or after the match

Decisions of the Referee

The decisions of the referee regarding facts connected with play are final.
The referee may only change a decision on realizing that it is incorrect or, at his discretion, on the advice of an assistant referee, provided that he has not restarted play or terminated the match.


LAW 6 – THE ASSISTANT REFEREES

Duties

Two assistant referees are appointed whose duties, subject to the decision of the referee, are to indicate:
• when the whole of the ball has passed out of the field of play
• which side is entitled to a corner kick, goal kick or throw-in
• when a player may be penalized for being in an offside position
• when a substitution is requested
• when misconduct or any other incident has occurred out of the view of the referee
• when offences have been committed whenever the assistants are closer to the action than the referee (this includes, in particular circumstances, offences committed in the penalty area)
• whether, at penalty kicks, the goalkeeper has moved forward before the ball has been kicked and if the ball has crossed the line

Assistance

The assistant referees also assist the referee to control the match in accordance with the Laws of the Game. In particular, they may enter the field of play to help control the 9.15 m distance.
In the event of undue interference or improper conduct, the referee will relieve an assistant referee of his duties and make a report to the appropriate authorities.
Problem of referees

Despite their presence, it still remains situations where the three referees are limited in taking decision when we consider the game speed. For example: has the ball passed the goal line or not? Has the fault been committed inside the penalty area or not? The list of questions is not exhaustive. With all the stakes in football nowadays (especially financial), it becomes necessary to introduce measures or additional means to help referees.

• More referees on the field of play?

We can think to add two additional referees on the field of play, one in each penalty area. Placed just on the goal line and next to the goal, this referee would monitor if the ball has passed the line but also faults committed inside penalty area.

• Referee video

A video referee (also known as the video umpire, instant replay official, television match official or third umpire) is a sport official called upon to help adjudicate a sports match using television footage. Video referees are used in many sports, including cricket, rugby union, rugby league and ice hockey. The role of the video referee differs varies, often they can only be called upon to adjudicate on specific events. Due to the cost of television cameras and other equipment needed for a video referee to function, most sports only employ them at a professional or top-class level.
Sport where video referee is already applied.

• Cricket
In cricket, the video referee is referred to as the third umpire. The third umpire is called upon to adjudicate by the two on-field umpires where they are unsure over a decision of a dismissal or boundary.

• Field hockey
Video umpires are used in top-level FIH events to assist the on-field umpires. The match umpires may refer decisions to the video umpire when they are uncertain of the correct decision relating to the awarding or disallowing of goals.

• Ice hockey
In ice hockey, the video referee is referred to as a Video Goal Judge.

• Rugby league
Video referees are also used in rugby league in the domestic National Rugby League (Australia/New Zealand), Super League (Europe) as well as in international matches. In rugby league the video referee can be called upon by the match official to determine the outcome of a possible try. The "video ref" can make judgments on knock-ons, offside, obstructions, hold-ups and whether or not a player has gone dead, but cannot rule on a forward pass. If a forward pass has gone un-noticed by the on-field officials it must be disregarded by the video ref, as such judgments cannot reliably be made due to camera angle effects.

• What about football?

Introducing video referee in football always remains object of discussion in football instance, players, supporters, etc.

• Arguments

Those who disagree with the using of video referee, FIFA and IFAB for instance, think it would break the principle universality in football. In fact, football is played at different levels (professional, amatory), in different country in the world (the richest and the poorest). So if the video was introduced in the game, it would be a clear discrimination in the way that football matches are umpired.
On the otherwise, they evoke the risk to assist to endless because of stoppages.

Those who agree for the using of video referee think there would be more equity in the game, less controversies decisions and the added that stoppages of play anyway is not going to make the game any slower. They agree with the fact that video referee should be used under control.

• IFAB’s position

The following article summarizes well the IFAB’s position about video referee:
Goal-line technology put on ice, (FIFA.com) Saturday 8 March 2008

At its Annual General Meeting today in Gleneagles, Scotland, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) has decided to put on ice goal-line technology and to stop tests in this area until further notice. Amongst others, the questions of the human aspect of the game, the universality of the Laws of the Game, as well as the simplicity and efficiency of the technology were taken into consideration.

However, the IFAB has approved a proposal from FIFA to conduct an experiment involving two additional assistant referees who will mainly focus on fouls and misconduct in the penalty area. The competition in which this test will be conducted will be decided at a later stage.
The Board also discussed a proposal from the Scottish FA regarding the use of video evidence to sanction simulation after the game. Although the suggestion was not approved, the IFAB members agreed that simulation is an act of cheating which must be intensively fought and sanctioned during the game and that all member associations would be encouraged to do so.

• Solutions?

Today, with the stakes surrounding the football world, we think it’s now the time to introduce video referee in football. This tool could help referees and avoid endless debate after football matches. Video referee could be used for:

• Telling if a ball had actually crossed the line (there was talk of FIFA putting a chip in the ball recently).
• Punishing incidents that had gone unnoticed or were inadequately dealt with after the game.
• Dealing with people who have dived, feigned injury in a game retrospectively.

The system of joker could be applied like in tennis for instance:
The referees remain the boss of the game; each team has three jokers per match for instance. If one team disagrees with referees decisions, its coach will call on the fourth referee in charge of video. He analyses the video and communicate the result to the central referee. If the fourth referee estimate that this query is right, the central referee’s decision will be cancelled and the plaintiff team will keep his joker. On the contrary, the team will lose one joker.

EU seeks influence on European football - Ivo Belet Interview

International Football Association Board

History

Though the rules of football had largely been standardized by the early 1880s, the UK's four football associations still each had slightly different rules. This posed a problem with international matches and when matches were played the rules of whoever was the home team were used. While this solution was workable, it was hardly ideal. To remedy this, the England's Football Association (The FA), the Scottish Football Association (SFA), the Football Association of Wales (FAW) and Northern Ireland's Irish Football Association (IFA) met on 6 December 1882 in Manchester, in order to set forth a common set of rules that could be applied to matches between the UK football associations' national teams. The conference created the first international competition, the British Home Championship, and proposed the establishment of a permanent board to regulate the laws of the game throughout Great Britain and Ireland.

Therefore, the first meeting of IFAB took place at the FA's offices at Holborn Viaduct in London on Wednesday June 2, 1886. The FA, SFA, FAW and IFA each had equal voting rights.
Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the international organising body for the sport, was formed in Paris in 1904 and declared that they would adhere to the rules laid down by IFAB. The growing popularity of the game internationally led to the admittance of FIFA representatives to IFAB in 1913.

Form & Function

The Laws of the Game are the preserve of the International Football Association Board, which thus occupies a major position in world football.

The Board holds an Ordinary Annual General Meeting, normally in the United Kingdom, to debate and decide upon changes in the rules and to issue official decrees relating to other football matters.

The International F.A. Board is composed of four representatives of FIFA and one each from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – an abiding acknowledgement of the historic significance of the British associations in world football. The FIFA representatives normally include the President and the General Secretary.

A three-quarters majority is required for any item to be passed. IFAB deliberations must be approved by at least six votes. Thus, FIFA's approval is necessary for any IFAB decision, but FIFA alone cannot change the Laws of the Game; they need to be agreed by at least two of the UK members. Initially, they only had two votes — the same number as each of UK associations — and decisions required a four-fifths majority to pass, meaning that the UK could still change the laws against FIFA's wishes if they all voted together. In 1958, the Board agreed on its current voting system, with each UK association having one vote, FIFA four and six votes being required to carry any motion.

While the International F.A. Board is by no means a mysterious institution, it does have a somewhat secretive aura. This has little to do with the Board's venerable age but more with the fact that it has a decisive influence on the rules of the world's most popular sport without ever appearing in the foreground (or being pushed there).

But in recent years particularly, the Board has been subject to more public and media attention, largely because of the ongoing discussion about alterations to the rules. Whether the topic is substitutions, duration of games, the offside rule, unsporting conduct, advertising on the field or thermal underwear, the Board has to deal with the fundamentals of the game as well as with less weighty items.

It is largely thanks to the conservative yet far-sighted attitude of the International F.A. Board that the Laws have undergone little change since the beginning, as any alterations need a three-quarters majority. But recent innovations such as the back pass rule and modifications pertaining to it, the different interpretations of the offside Law, goalkeeper substitution, punishment for tackles from behind, experiments with kick-ins instead of throw-ins and other ideas have proved that the Board is alert and receptive to ways of encouraging development and meeting the needs of modern football.

Questions

How can we explain the fact that with the globalization of football, the British football associations have still an influence on the rules through the IFAB ?

They invented modern football, they defined the rules, so they want to conserve their influence on the Laws of the Game. They are very conservative agreeing that they want to preserve the game authenticity. It is why with the three-fourths majority rule during a vote, they have the power to reject any game law modernization proposition. For instance they are opposed to the idea of introducing video referee in the game.

Should we allow only to FIFA the power to modify laws of the game?

We think it should be the case. FIFA’s missions are: Develop the game, touch the world, build a better future.
Played by thousands millions people worldwide, football is the heart and soul of FIFA and as the guardian of this most cherished game, FIFA has a great responsibility. This responsibility does not end with organizing the FIFA World Cup™ and the various other world cup competitions; it extends to safeguarding the Laws of the Game, developing the game around the world and to bringing hope to those less privileged.
So the Laws of the Game should concern the 208 members associations constituting the association. FIFA could set up a commission responsible of amandments in the Laws of the Game. Furthermore, each country would better accept the rules modifications because there are involved in the elaboration process.

In conclusion, since the end of the 19th century, football has become a worldwide phenomenon. It has succeeded outside the British borders. So the Laws of the Game shouldn’t be influenced by the British federations like it’s the case nowadays. It is abnormal that countries like Wales or North Ireland which are practically absent in the international football scene have as much power on the rules. Consequently, the IFAB must be integrated in the FIFA's organisation as a commission in charge of the laws, with members designated during FIFA’s general assembly.

Sources: www.fifa.com, Wikipedia

Does the European Parliament have a role to play ?

Published the 29/01/2007 by EPP-ED Group.

The Future of Professional Football. Rapporteur Ivo Belet encourages more self-regulation.

The Culture & Education Committee of the European Parliament today adopted the report by Belgian MEP Ivo Belet (EPP-ED) on the future of professional football in Europe with a large majority.

Parliament's primary objectives are to tackle the legal uncertainty surrounding football, to provide an answer to negative evolutions (money laundering, fraud, gambling, etc.) and to stimulate a competitive balance.

Ivo Belet said: "As football has both an economic and non-economic dimension, it finds itself in a legal vacuum which leads to a proliferation of court cases and corruption. Given the important social and educational role of football, we can't just watch this sport being ruled by case law and being eroded by business interests. Parliament therefore encourages the responsible governing bodies to better regulate their own activities."

A crucial element for Parliament is the creation of a level playing field. Belet continued: "To guarantee financial stability and a competitive balance between teams, we encourage the development of a cost-control system that could be integrated in the UEFA licensing system. We don't want to impose new regulation here; we are asking that the responsible organisations themselves develop such a system." Furthermore, Parliament is in favour of an independent supervisory body monitoring the financial activities of clubs, again to be set up by the football organisations themselves.

In addition, Parliament supports UEFA’s 'home-grown players' measure which requires teams to have a minimum set number of locally-trained players. As clubs often give contracts to very young players, additional measures are required to avoid child trafficking.

Parliament also wants strict standards and criteria concerning players’ agents, preferably to be established via the self-regulatory approach. If UEFA is unsuccessful in setting up an efficient system, Parliament asks the Commission to present a proposal for a directive.