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On Thursday, June 15, The International Football Association Board (IFAB) and world football governing body FIFA formally launched the new play fair! initiative as part of a strategy focusing on improving fairness and the image of the game.
After the important decision at the last Annual General Meeting on March 3, 2017 to look at the game’s negative aspects and focus on “what football wants”, The IFAB released an insight into the main aims and areas which will be tackled in the first stage of the initiative. The Laws makers believe that the Laws of the Game can be developed as a key tool to increase fairness, integrity, universality, inclusion and, with the controlled use of technology, benefit the game worldwide at all levels.
“play fair! is a major milestone – for football,” says IFAB Secretary, Lukas Brud. “With the huge support of FIFA, the confederations and national football associations, we are creating an opportunity to address football’s on-field issues and negativities.”
The play fair! initiative is building up on the major revision of the Laws of the Game between 2016 and 2017, overseen by David Elleray, IFAB’s Technical Director who says, “so far, the support for play fair! within the football community has been very positive – referees, players, coaches and fans all agree that improving player behaviour and respect for all participants (and especially match officials), increasing playing time and the game’s fairness and attractiveness must be football’s main priority.”
The play fair! initiative is not an ‘overnight revolution’ and must be implemented at the right speed and for the right reasons, which will involve some testing to ensure developing the best solutions for the game.
Different elements of play fair! will be tested in different competitions worldwide to ensure The IFAB has the best possible information before decisions on future changes to the Laws are taken.
Initial tests at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia and selected FIFA and UEFA competitions.
FIFA’s Chief Technical Development Officer Marco van Basten also announced that some elements of play fair! will be focused on during the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia; after some initial tests in FIFA and UEFA youth competitions, the FIFA Confederations Cup will be the first tournament involving national ‘A’ teams to use elements of play fair!.
