International Football Association Board
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) (also known as The International F. A. Board or simply The International Board) is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football (soccer). Aside from approving the Laws of the Game in force from time to time, the International Board also adopts complementary rules that apply in football matches.
On 6 December 1882 in Manchester, The Football Association (England), the Scottish Football Association, the Football Association of Wales, and the Irish Football Association met in order to set forth a common set of rules that could be applied to international matches between the British football associations. 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.
The first meeting of the Board took place at the Football Association offices, at Holborn Viaduct in London on Wednesday June 2, 1886 [1] [2]. The board consisted of one representative from the associations of each of the four Home Nations.
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 the IFAB. The growing popularity of the game internationally led to the admittance of FIFA representatives to the IFAB in 1913.
In 1958, the Board agreed on its current voting system, with four FIFA representatives joining one representative from each of the four Home Nation associations. Each representative has one vote. 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.
The International F.A. Board meets twice a year, once to decide on possible changes to the rules governing the game of Football, and once to deliberate on its internal affairs. The first meeting is called the Annual General Meeting (AGM), and the second is the Annual Business Meeting (ABM). Four weeks before the AGM, the member associations must send their written proposals to the secretary of the host association. FIFA then prints a list of suggestions that are distributed to all other associations for examination. The AGM is held either in February or March and the ABM is held between September and October.