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RULES OF THE INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION BOARD

(Approved by the International Football Association Board - February 1993)

1.Name and Constitution

The title of the Board shall be the International Football Association Board. The Football Association (England), The Scottish Football Association, The Football Association of Wales, The Irish Football Association and the Fédération Internationale de Foot-ball Association (FIFA), hereafter called associations, shall constitute the Board and each shall be entitled to be represented by four delegates.

2.Objects

The objects of the Board shall be to discuss and decide proposed alterations to the Laws of the Game and such other matters affecting association football as required to be referred to the Board after consideration by the Annual General Meetings or other appropriate meetings of the associations forming the Board or confederations or national associations.

3.Meetings of the Board

The Board shall meet bi-annually. The Annual General Meeting shall take place on a date between 14 February and 14 March. The Annual Business Meeting shall take place in the month of September or October, as agreed. The date and venue of both the Annual General Meeting and the Annual Business Meeting shall be decided at the previous Annual General Meeting of the Board.

In each current year both the Annual General Meeting and the Annual Business Meeting shall be hosted by the same member association. A representative of the host association shall preside. The responsibility for hosting both meeting shall be passed in rotation to each association.

Annual General Meeting The Annual General Meeting is authorised to discuss and decide on proposed alterations to the Laws of the Game and other relevant matters affecting association football, which fall within the remit of the Board.

Annual Business Meeting The Annual Business Meeting shall take place in the month of September or October, as agreed. The meeting shall have the authority to consider general business submitted to the Board. It may provide decisions on such items but the Annual Business Meeting shall not have the authority to alter the Laws of the Game.

4.Procedures

Annual General Meeting Each association shall forward in writing, not later than 1 December, to the secretary of the association hosting the meeting, suggestions or proposed alterations to the Laws of the Game, requests for experimentation to the Laws of the Game and other items for discussion which shall be printed and distributed not later than 14 December. Any amendments to such proposed alterations must be submitted in writing to the secretary of the host association not later than 14 January, and such proposals and amendments shall be printed and distributed to member associations for consideration not later than 1 February.

Annual Business Meeting Each association shall forward in writing to the secretary of the host association, at least four weeks before the date of the meeting, any proposals, requests for experimentation regarding the Laws of the Game and other items for discussion. The agenda and relevant papers shall be distributed to all member associations of the Board two weeks before the meeting.

Any confederation or other national association may forward in writing to the General Secretary of FIFA, proposals, requests or items for discussion in good time to ensure that they may be considered by FIFA and, if acceptable, forwarded to the secretary of the host association at least four weeks before the meeting.

5.Minutes

The minutes of the meeting shall be recorded by the secretary of the host association and shall be reported in the official Minute Book which shall be forwarded to the association next in rotation before the first day of February ensuing.

6.Quorum and Voting Powers

The business of a meeting shall not be proceeded unless four associations, one of which shall be FIFA, are represented. FIFA shall have four votes on behalf of all affiliated national associations in membership. The other member associations shall each have one vote. For a proposal to succeed, it must receive the support of at least three-quarters of those present and entitled to vote.

7.Alterations to the Laws of the Game

No alterations shall be made to the Laws of the Game except in the Annual General Meeting of the Board and then only if agreed by at least three-quarters of those present and entitled to vote.

8.Special Meetings

The association hosting the Board meetings for the current year* shall, on receiving a written requisition signed by FIFA or by any two of the other member associations, accompanied by a copy of the proposals to be submitted, call a special meeting of the Board. Such special meetings shall be held within twenty-eight days of the requisition and the associations forming the Board shall receive twenty-one days' notice together with a copy of the proposals.

9.Decisions of the Board

The decisions of the Annual Business Meeting of the Board shall be effective from the date of the meeting, unless agreed otherwise.

The decisions of the Annual General Meeting of the Board regarding changes to the Laws of the Game shall be binding on confederations and national associations as from 1 July following each Annual General Meeting of the Board but confederations or national associations whose current season has not ended by 1 July may delay the introduction of the adopted alterations to the Laws of the Game for their competitions until the beginning of their next season. No alteration to the Laws of the Game shall be made by any confederation or national association unless they have been passed by the Board.**

* The current year shall be understood to commence on the day following the previous Annual General Meeting.

** It was agreed that for international matches any such decisions would be effective from 1 July following the Annual General Meeting of the Board at which they were reached.

Laws of the Game

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