Law book that changed the world of football


If you are an avid reader of new book reviews, you will have noticed that Melvyn Bragg of ITV's South Bank Show, has a new book out entitled rather grandly 'Twelve Books that Changed the World'.

 What surprised many reviewers is that amongst such classic tomes as Magna Carta, Darwin's Origin of the Species and the King James' Version of the Bible, he has included the First Book of Laws of Association Football.Some have scoffed at its inclusion but there can be no doubt that this work has had an effect around the world. 

Some 250million people are said to play football and the estimated audience for next month's World Cup will run into billions - all of which has a direct link to that first set of laws.

When captains from football clubs in and around London, met in the Freemasons' Tavern in Lincoln's' Inn Field in 1863, they formed the Football Association with one purpose in mind. They wanted to frame a code of laws so that it would be possible for one club to play another, no matter where they came from. This achievement of a single set of laws was a milestone in the development of the modern game and consolidated the Football Association as the ruling body in England. 

The next step was to be able to play matches against teams from the other three home nations, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Representatives of the four countries met in December 1882 and they not only agreed a uniform code of laws but also the government of the game. The International Football Association Board as it was known, ensured that wherever the game was played in the British Isles, the same laws applied. 

When FIFA joined the Board in 1913 it meant that all countries in membership of FIFA played by the same laws. I'm sure when those team captains met at the Freemason's Tavern, that although their objective was one set of laws so teams could play one another, they never envisaged that this would spread to cover the whole world. I have a copy of that first book, just a few pages long and of course, very little of those original 14 laws exist in today's game. But I think it can justify its place amongst books that changed the world.

Each year the International FA Board meets to consider changes to the laws and this year is no exception. The only difference is that normally any new laws come into force from 1st July but as the World Cup starts on 9th June, their implementation will be brought forward. So what's new this year? 

The Board has asked referees to red card, all cases of elbowing, reckless tackling and serious foul play. They have also been asked to yellow card, diving, holding and shirt pulling and FIFA are keen to stop players provoking a confrontation by interfering with the ball after play has stopped. 

They originally wanted to make it a cautionable offence if an attacker tries to retrieve the ball after a goal to get on with the game. However, the Board has simply added to the instruction which says, 'Referees must caution players who delay the restart' with 'by provoking a confrontation by deliberately touching the ball after the referee has stopped play'. Not quite the same thing is it. We'll see how it works out but I'm sure it won't spoil our enjoyment of the tournament. 

As this is my last column of the season may I say thank you for all the letters, telephone calls and to all who have stopped me in the street, the golf course, or the Mad Stad to talk about the column, even suggesting subjects to cover. Also thanks to David Wright, Sports Editor of the Evening Post for allowing me to present this alternative view. 

Dick Sawdon Smith 



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© R Sawdon Smith 2006